Artemis Fowl 2: Agents and Angels
by RavenFollower13
Summary: Under odd circumstances, Ethryn has been kidnapped by Scorpia. In need of information, Artemis turns to the only one whose taken down Scorpia: Alex. But out of suspicion Scorpia abducts him too! Now the two have to work together to get home or die trying
1. Burn

**THIS IS A SEQUEL! **If you haven't read the first one, you will understand NOTHING! Well, maybe a little. But, just so you know, the first one wasn't a crossover, it was just Artemis Fowl.

Now please enjoy this story.

* * *

_**Artemis Fowl 2: Agents and Angels**_

**Chapter 1  
"Burn"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor  
**

It had taken all of about three weeks to fully secure Ethryn's new lifestyle as a Fowl who seemed to have come from nowhere. The legal story was, since, obviously, no parents could be involved, that she lived with a nanny who took care of her. It was also found that Holly wasn't actually her little sister, she was a friend of the nanny's child, and since the two were close, she just called her that. The woman acting as her nanny was hired from a very 'no nonsense' place, where you could receive no questions from the business or the people. Artemis appreciated it, but of course, the woman acting as Ethryn's caretaker was thoroughly background checked to the fairies and more importantly his liking.

Of course, the new heiress was a favorite among the press, for whatever reason. Appearing from nowhere had gotten her some time in the limelight. Artemis read every single word written about her, making positive that nothing had to be taken care of. Ethryn didn't seem to mind the constant badgering, as Artemis had prepped her on the life of the rich and what to expect before people lost interest.

Artemis's family had also been prepped. Not just the immediate, but the long distance. It wasn't the first time they'd been informed of a brand new identity joining their family, and nobody asked questions, thankfully. When interviewed, some claimed to favorite her. Others said they didn't talk much, but she was a nice enough girl. A few informed them she was a bit too lighthearted for their tastes.

All in all, the transition had been successful. Ethryn was now living very happily in London, with the LEP practically breathing down her neck, and a woman who asked no questions there to take care of her. He also talked to her often.

So why did he have this horrible feeling, he wondered, as he glared suspiciously at her happy picture, smiling up at the sky from her large estate's balcony.

* * *

**London, Hospital Wing**

Alex Rider was bored and impatient.

Nobody had told him anything. He was now fifteen and five months. His birthday had been a very cheerful party, spent getting presents from his friends and cards from distant family. Even Sabina had sent a card with a DVD, played at the party. The traditional embarrassment was there as well as she wished him a happy birthday, and some people made gibes. The word 'girlfriend' was mentioned.

But right now, that was all behind him. As he sat in the waiting room, he thought about his caretaker, Jack Starbright. She was the one in the hospital bed this time, not him for once. And he now knew how it felt to be left in the dark.

It was nothing serious, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time.

Hospital wings often reminded everyone of the horrors that the workers might see at any given moment. The imagination roamed farther then necessary in doctors offices in general.

But thankfully, Jack Starbright was just being treated for a burn. A particularly gross one it might be, snaking up from her wrist to her palm, but not serious. Alex had been able to drive her to the hospital. He had his permit, but legally, he wasn't allowed to drive yet. To his luck, no one had pulled them over.

Finally, a female doctor came from the doors. "Alex Rider?"

Alex stood up at once, "Yes?"

The woman smiled at him. "I'm Dr. Sanchez. Please, follow me."

He did, and they were led quietly down the hallway. Nobody paid much attention to either of them, clearly having more important things to worry about. This was, after all, a hospital.

"Your friend is fine," She began. Dr. Sanchez looked to be in her mid-thirties, Hispanic, and somewhat pretty. Her eyes were a warm brown, making Alex feel comfortable for whatever reason. "Miss Starbright won't need any skin grafts. Not at all. She'll just need a few bandages and a special type of cream . . ."

Alex had stopped paying attention. Dr. Sanchez, however kind she was, had begun to irritate him. She was treating him like he was 6, using phrases like 'special type of cream'. Little did she know, Alex had been under various surgeries and medical treatments, including skin grafts, and he probably could mention more procedures then she knew a 15 year old boy (14 at the time) could withstand.

". . . And here she is!"

Alex stopped in front of an open door. Jack, his legal guardian and closest friend, sat on a bed. The bandages in place, she gave Alex and wry smirk and lifted her arm.

"First burn ever. Did you bring the camera?"

He just smiled and stepped forward. Jack had got the burn trying to speed up a fifteen minute cooking project. Her limit was ten minutes, or she considered the job to take too long. But the recipe had been irresistible, so Jack had tried to speed it up. She now had the scar to prove that it wasn't a good idea.

"No, but I can grab one in the gift shop on our way out if you'd like," He retorted.

"Speaking of which," Jack looked at Dr. Sanchez. "When am I allowed out?"

She smiled, "We'll have you out in just a minute."

"Thank you."

"I'll return shortly."

Alex waited until Dr. Sanchez had gone before turning back to Jack. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, actually. They gave me a few painkillers. By the way, we'll have to drop off the prescription on our way home." Jack flexed her hand and winced as she did so. "Ow, I've got to hand it to you Alex. You made this look easier."

He shrugged. "At least its Sunday. Otherwise, no one would have been home to take you here."

"I'm sure the neighbors would have-, wait." She blinked a few times. "Doesn't your schools Spirit Week start tomorrow?"

Alex had already picked out his clothes. He nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to borrow the camera to take pictures of your lame friends tomorrow," she teased, nudging his shoulder with her good hand.

"Very funny," he retorted. "But nah. What's gonna happen that's so different I need a picture of it?"

"Take it anyway," Jack insisted. "You never know."

After that, Dr. Sanchez returned. With a few signatures and a follow up appointment scheduled, they were able to leave. As soon as Alex got into the driver seat, assisting Jack a little, they made a quick getaway. The quicker they could get away from the somber hospital, the more relaxed they would feel.

* * *

**London, Park Square**

Artemis was coming to visit tomorrow.

Ethryn always welcomed company. And she really did consider Holly, Artemis, and Butler like family. Foaly was somewhat of a distant figure, and to be honest, Mulch had been a bit odd. The woman who Artemis had hired as her caretaker didn't talk much. She had few friends, as it was a security risk to the Fairy People and the Fowl family itself. But Ethryn still loved Earth, even in her limited life. She missed Ellen of course, sometimes wishing she'd stayed with her, but her life where she'd been born was over now. Earth was her home, and her life would just have to be one of secrets. She wondered how her friends dealt so easily with it.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" She called, staring thoughtfully out her window on the second floor. Such a big house for just two people. Ethryn was going to ask Artemis about getting a pet.

The door opened and Ethryn spoke before she looked at Colleen, the woman who took care of her. "Colleen, what do you think of getting a dog or a pet? Do you think-?" She stopped, frozen, staring at the person at her door.

The six-foot-two man standing there was definitely not Colleen. What had also startled her was not only was he wearing a full black bodysuit in the middle of the day, he was also holding a single knife in his hand. Frightening Ethryn even more was that it was coated with a thin layer of blood.

"Who are you?" She demanded, sliding her hand behind her back. With any luck, if this man survived, it could appear to him as though she had pulled her dagger from under a pillow rather then with thin air and a bit of magic.

In a gruff voice, he replied. "That's unimportant."

"What did you do with Colleen?"

"Irrelevant. Stand up and come with me, slowly. If you make any sudden movements, I'll be forced to-."

Ethryn didn't give him time to finish. She pulled a single blade from behind her back and, with adrenaline filled strength, threw it right at his chest, the easiest target. To her shock, he moved and was then in front of her. Ethryn tried to lash out with her foot but it was no use. The strange man grabbed it and twisted her foot, sending sharp pain through her body. She gritted her teeth and glared at him, refusing to utter a sound. Ethryn was also trying to figure out how she'd missed.

"You disobeyed me. You will now be punished."

"Oh really?" She hissed. "What are you going to do to me, then?"

"You, Miss Fowl, won't be awake for the ride."

"Ride?" Her eyes widened and she began to struggle, ignoring the pain it cause in her ankle. "Where are you taking me!"

"In due time, Miss Fowl. In due time. Now, if you'll please."

Ethryn barely had time to see his hand flash out, some type of syringe held carefully between his fingers. She didn't dare try and move, for fear of the needle hitting something far more dangerous then intended. She felt the needle penetrate her bare skin, flinching at the contact. Ethryn felt the curiously hot liquid flooding her veins before the syringe was gently extracted. Her body started to go numb. Though even facing the realization of being kidnapped, Ethryn could only feel bad for this man.

He had no idea what he was in store for once Artemis found out.

* * *

**London, Above in a Plane**

Artemis scowled. He'd made a call to Ethryn this morning, hoping to catch her on the phone to see how she was doing beforehand, but no one had answered. Normally the woman, Colleen Harrison, was the one to pick up the phone. But nonetheless, it was always answered. Ethryn hade a cell phone, but she didn't like to answer it. She didn't enjoy the sound it made, to be perfectly honest. Colleen Harrison did not have a cell phone. If they two had gone out, then it would be perfectly reasonable, but just in case, Artemis had of course contacted the LEP. The boy had guessed the LEP had been slacking after the first month of her living on Earth safely. Artemis now had proof of this suspicion, or so it seemed.

Butler was also having bad feelings about this. As soon as they got to the girl's house, he was going to insist going in first, just in case something might be waiting for them. Artemis might object, but this was what he was being paid for.

They landed.

They didn't have to face security measures. When you came in on a private jet, not many questions were asked, and any that were asked were mostly about if the flight was 'to their liking'. The pilot did not thank them over the intercom. Artemis had hired him long ago, after many extensive background checks. Anyone who worked for Artemis besides Butler (and including, on occasion) knew that this was strictly business. Sometimes employers became friendly with their employees.

It was made very clear this was not that type of situation.

Butler, of course, placed all the luggage into the back of their car. The only thing Artemis carried was, as always, his laptop. Once they were inside the car, Artemis decided to try calling Ethryn again. He flipped out his cell phone.

Butler heard the sound and glanced into the mirror. "Trying to call her again?"

"Yes," Artemis replied, just as the phone began to ring.

Once . . .

Twice . . .

A third time . . .

"_Hello_?"

Artemis's eyes narrowed immediately. That was definitely not Ethryn's voice. He signaled for Butler to start tracing the call on the GPS, a useful device he'd installed into the car. Butler nodded, flicking a few switches. Back to the phone, he demanded, "Who is this?"

Their was a pause. Artemis was starting to feel irritated when the voice replied, far less meekly, "Artemis Fowl?"

He tensed, "This is he, yes. Now tell me who _you_ are."

The woman on the other end cleared her throat, "My name is hardly important-."

"I disagree. This call will be ended if you do not tell me who you are. Whatever demands you might attempt to make will fail, and if you are working for someone, I doubt they will be happy. You have the tone of a woman who believes herself superior, but is very obviously a sidekick, at best, who won't admit that to themselves. Should you fail in the simple instructions of ransom, which I am guessing is the message you wish to deliver to me, your superior will, no doubt, have you fired. Or, should they be so extreme, kill you. So I would advice you chose your new words very carefully, madame, as I don't say things to hear the sound of my own voice."

Artemis waited. He had sounded confident, and even, to an extent, very fierce. The person on the other line seemed to be talking to someone else near them. Unintelligible mutterings were heard before the woman inhaled.

"Very well, Mister Fowl. I work for a business called Scorpia. Have you ever heard of them?"

Indeed, Artemis had. He paled a moment (which made him look rather sick, for he didn't have much color to begin with) before swallowing hard and taking his own advice about word choices. "Yes, I have, actually. What could you possibly want with my cousin, then? Contrary to popular belief, the Fowl family does not have business or contact with terrorist groups, such as your employers."

"Terrorist is such a cruel word, Mister Fowl. But back to the point, then. Your cousin, Miss Ethryn Fowl, has been taken to our hostage facility until we are paid a sum of 2 million dollars. No doubt a rather small price for the Fowl family, but rest assured, if the money is not delivered to the account of our choosing in exactly one week, your cousin will be killed."

Butler made a frustrated motion with his hand. Artemis's expression went blank as the meaning came to him at once. Whatever system they were using to block his tracker out must have been very powerful. But then again, he hadn't updated the GPS in a while. It was something he would have to fix, but that was for later. Right now he was dealing with kidnappers.

"I find it only fair to warn you," Artemis kept his voice level, reminding himself this wasn't just an average family member. Ethryn was definitely not helpless, like his father had been when that kidnapping had occurred. "Should you proceed with this transaction, there will be consequences on your part. My cousin is not as helpless as she may look."

"Yes, we've seen that." The woman seemed somewhat smug, if not amused. "Our informant told us she attempted to kill him with some sort of knife kept under her pillow. And she surely would have succeeded if our operative had not been one of the best."

Artemis had been wondering how Ethryn had not managed to save herself, on her own. She wasn't exactly a weakling. Under a thin and dainty figure she had a strength and agility that the Fairy People were still studying. The strength of Angel's could be adapted to humans, but Ethryn's kind had it without the necessary working out people needed.

"Its your choice, madame. Return her now, or suffer later. Sooner then later, I'd say."

There was a small laugh, "Two million dollars, Mister Fowl. The account will be sent to you once this conversation is over. And I'd advise you to stay away from the police. Its not like they can do anything against us."

Artemis hung up before she could. It made him feel better, though not much. Butler had pulled over and looked and turned to look at him in the mirror.

"Am I to assume that Miss Harrison is deceased?"

"Most likely," Artemis pinched the bridge of his nose. He gave a heavy sigh, "I very much doubt the Fairy People are going to like this at all."

"Shall we return to the plane?"

"I'm far too thrown off by the trip to return for another few hours. We'll find a hotel somewhere." Artemis snapped, then took a deep breath, his head between his hands. "My apologies, Butler. I am not myself during stressful situations."

Butler shrugged, "Its no problem, Artemis. Should I put Holly on the line, then?"

"Yes, please, Butler. Thank you."

"Of course."

The car also had a built in phone, as most due these days. Except once again, Artemis had designed it himself. It was actually he who sold it to the Americans and the rest of the industries. Though his was far more advanced, of course. No call of his was ever dropped, wherever he happened to be or whatever tunnel he might be going through.

It was answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

Artemis let out a breath he'd been holding. Despite the probability of Holly being kidnapped too was probably one in a million, it was nice to hear her voice instead of a strangers. "Holly, it's Artemis. Butler is here too."

"Hey, guys. Haven't talked to both of you in a while . . . Is something wrong?"

He caught the wary tone in her voice. Rather then speak, he let the pause fill in the blanks instead of his voice. She would understand more if the bad news was figured out on her own.

Holly inhaled sharply. "Artemis, where is Ethryn?"

"That's precisely what I called to talk to you about."

"Oh god, _no_!" She groaned out. Artemis could practically imagine her face in her hands. "What happened? D'arvit! Wait a second, I'm getting Foaly on the line."

Both Artemis and Butler heard a few buttons being tapped. Their were rings again.

Then, "Hey, Holly, what's up?"

"You're on a three-way, Foaly."

"My machines aren't ancient, Holly. Artemis, oh joy. Then I trust this isn't just to say hello?"

"Ethryn's missing," Artemis intervened. "She's been kidnapped by a terrorist group in London that call themselves Scorpia. They've managed to cause quite a lot of trouble, actually."

Foaly was hitting keys so fast it was almost like listening to something vibrate. "I'm looking them up on my database right now."

"No doubt you'll find plenty."

After listening to his fingers go at it for a while, there was a low whistle.

Holly groaned again, "That bad?"

"Their rap sheet could probably wrap around the whole of LEP Headquarters." Foaly replied, seeming both disturbed and impressed. "Twice. But nobody can prove anything. Their careful. But . . . oh, whats this?"

"What?" Artemis demanded. He didn't like being left in the dark.

"Get on your computer, Mud-Boy." Foaly replied, "No doubt its right in front of you. Holly, according to my reader, you're at your desk, so you get on your computer too. I'll link you guys to what I'm seeing."

The two did as they were told, Artemis simply flicking open the screen and waiting. It took his computer a few seconds to load. Holly took a half minute longer, as she was not as good with technology that didn't involve something violent.

"Alright, Foaly, we see what you see. Now tell us what you're so hyped up about," Holly ordered.

Thanks to the centaur, their screens scrolled down on their own, towards Scorpia's more recent ventures. He clicked on a file marked "MI6 Database", and a file appeared. He then went deeper, zooming in. The heading of the sheet was titled "Invisible Sword".

"Alright," Holly said, after reading through it. "Now, to sum this up, this _Scorpia_ had planted gold encrusted viruses, I think, into shots for school children? That's-."

"Horrible? Diabolical?" Artemis interrupted. "But you have to admit, this is a rather ingenious idea. It occurred to me long ago, though, that someone might try this eventually. I'm shocked I haven't heard about it sooner. I, for one, do not use public doctors for this very reason. Poisoned medicines. Hmph."

"Leave it to you to appreciate the genius of a plan rather then be horrified by it," Holly snapped back. "The question I want to know is, why aren't thousands of children dead right now?"

"This is the reason for my surprise," Foaly scrolled down again. Projected on their devices, they watched him highlight a paragraph. "Illegally of course, since this kid is still a minor and you can't employ minors, a 15-year-old kid, 14 at the time, basically destroyed the whole plan from the inside out. He even managed to get rid of one of the original founders of Scorpia."

Artemis peered at his screen curiously. "Alex Rider . . . Interesting."

"And the last transaction, even involving another group called Snakehead, also fell to the hands of this kid." Foaly then smirked, a joke spurting from his lips. "Well here it is, Artemis. I knew that other side of you had to be _somewhere_."

The boy genius for once did not understand. His eyes narrowed, "What on Earth are you talking about, Foaly?"

"You're the genius right?"

"I would say so, yes."

"But you couldn't beat your way out of a paper bag!" Foaly let a chortle or two out before continuing, as Artemis did not enjoy being insulted. "So this kid is the perfection of fitness and tricks, just like you're probably the smartest kid out there who can keep calmly tell someone they're about to die because you don't like them. Brains and brawn."

Holly snorted, a smile on her face. "Yeah, Artemis. This kid completes you!"

Artemis was not amused, "How very cute of you two to make jokes while an entirely new species of the Fairy People has been kidnapped by a very dangerous race of humans who would kill thousands of London schoolchildren just to make a point."

The laughter cut of abruptly. Holly cleared her throat, "Just what are they asking for, Artemis?"

"Two million dollars," The genius replied, glad they were back on subject. "Not exactly out of the question, but I don't trust them. I'd advise you to find Ethryn yourself and if rescue is out of the question, I'll gladly pay the money to these people. What they use it for is none of my business, after all." He scowled, "Although we'll have to be moving Ethryn. London seems to be a great target for these people. I don't want her anywhere near that."

"Aw," Foaly gushed. "You're such a great big brother, Artemis."

"Although I am not one for physical violence, I would very much enjoy to see Butler smack you at this time, Foaly." Artemis replied, demonstrating what the centaur had meant about calm threats. Butler smirked at Artemis from the mirror, as they were halfway to the hotel by now.

Foaly gave a nervous laugh at the thought of the monstrous manservant abusing him in any way.

"So what should we do about this Alex Rider?" Holly intervened. "Do you think he could help us at all? According to this MI6 file, he could probably be some use to us if we're going to break in. Even the Fairy People need a little help here and there."

Artemis thought over this a moment before nodding. But knowing they could not see him, he continued. "Yes, I suppose so. Though I doubt he'd come with us willingly." He paused, stroking the keyboard thoughtfully. "I suppose I'll have to hire a few people to fetch him for us. No need to use our resources on something that simply. Holly, how quickly can you get up here?"

"Actually, Artemis," Holly suddenly sounded nervous. "I'm on vacation right now."

"What?" He said, exasperated. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday. I'm off for the month."

"Yup, its true Mud-Boy," Foaly agreed, having regained his composure. "Most of the LEP has, actually. Holly doesn't normally _do_ vacation. It was mandatory leave. She's classified as 'overworked'."

"Bored off my ass is what I am right now," she muttered. "So I'll have to come up above ground on my own. If the situation proves something we can't handle, then I'll get the LEP involved. But if I can keep my head above water, I'm going to."

Artemis sighed, "Very well. Please be here by tomorrow morning. I'll have this Alex Rider by then."

* * *

**London, Alex's High School**

Alex Rider had enjoyed the morning, getting together with his class grade and shouting cheers that could be heard from all the way down the street. No fights had broken out yet between the different years, but everyone was just waiting for it to happen.

The Seniors had 'Army Day'. Combat clothing, war paint, torn t-shirts, and even a few hippies flooded various areas of the school. Juniors had Rodeo day, where teenagers were running around with horses on sticks and cowboy outfits. Sophmores had 80's day, wearing their parents vintage clothing. And Alex's class, the Freshmen, had Nerd Day.

Alex had taken the camera, forced upon him by Jack. With one hand mostly incapacitated, Alex woke up early that morning to assist her with breakfast, much to her irritation.

"Its my job to cook, not yours," She'd commented. "You do enough."

Right now he sat with his friends in the bleachers, watching the Junior Skit. Each class had a day to perform and plenty of time to prepare. It was up to students to join and let their grade know when the practices were. The mini play was about spirit, and their rival school for the Homecoming Game getting made fun of. Each class had a theme, and this one was Indiana Jones. It was mediocre, at best.

After lunch, nothing really happened. Alex talked to his friends during class, the movie being ignored altogether. During Spirit Week, unless you had a particularly cruel teacher, not much was done during class periods besides celebrate.

Had anyone really payed close attention though, they might've noticed some people who looked unconventionally muscular after school. Some of the Seniors saluted to them, noticing at once their army-like attire. Freshmen immediately shied away from them, for fear of being cornered and forced to do push-ups, as some had already been made to do early that day. The men looked a bit old, maybe in their mid-twenties. But nobody questioned them, as some Seniors looked unconventionally aged. But there was something different about these three people with ski-masks over their faces. True, many upper class men did have these masks on, but they looked completely on edge. Their backpacks, also army patterned, bulged with unknown items. They were not in the shape of books.

But still, no one confronted them. It wasn't until Alex walked out the back doors, taking the shortcut home, did they react. Swiftly and unnoticed, they followed, chatting idly about teachers that didn't exist and classmates that were bothering them. A few girls names were also mentioned. Alex payed them no mind until they shouted at him.

"Hey, kid!"

He stopped and turned, a blank expression on his face. Alex had dealt with bullies before. This would end quickly. "Yes?"

The boy reached up and aimed a gun at him, "Stay where you are!"

Alex rolled his eyes. They fake guns weren't allowed at school. He was mildly surprised that this toy hadn't already been taken away from him, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but sadly, I'm not afraid of plastic."

The man steadied it and aimed. "Who said this was plastic?"

Alex's eyes widened as both realization and the tranquilizer dart hit him. The dart punctured his neck, a perfect shot, avoiding any nerves that could've been injured but right into the bloodstream. Alex knew he'd never stood a chance. No one came this way. It had really been a dumb idea to try the shortcut. He had no hope of anyone stumbling across here to see this happening, and even if they did, what could a teenager do but run and tell a teacher? By the time the police arrived, it would be too late.

These were Alex's thoughts just as he lost consciousness. The darkest of the men caught him, hefting him over his shoulder. A car drove up into the normally avoided street, and they tossed him in, two getting into the back and the other in the front. Then they drove off, calmly, feeling comfortable the tinted windows would protect them.

This small group working for a strange employer had just kidnapped the infamous Alex Rider.

* * *

Do you want to know where I got the idea for Alex's kidnapping? My high school. We take Spirit Week very seriously. You can here us rallying in the morning all the way down the block. Its rather frightening. And yes, the Senior's Army Day is terrifying for boys (thank god I'm a girl), because if they see you to close to their 'territory', you get hounded. You do push-ups or they'll squirt you with water guns. I saw it happen to these asshole kids in my grade and I laughed. They looked like their were going to wet themselves.

But anyways, did you enjoy this so far? You shall, if you haven't! Artemis Fowl the genius is now going to meet Alex Rider the orphan teen super-spy. This should be interesting.

Until next time.


	2. Two Way Interrogation

So the inevitable confrontation. How will this turn out, you wonder? Of course, Alex shall be Alex and Artemis shall be Artemis, as is the way of the fanfictions. Unless people decide that OC is the best way to go. WHICH IT ISN'T!

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 2  
"Two-Way Interrogation"**

**London, Ethryn's House**

Alex didn't move as he felt the drug start to ware off, allowing feeling to reenter his body. When his wrists were returned to him he felt the rope against his skin. Not painful, just uncomfortable. Once drug-free-blood entered his ankles he felt rope there, too. Careful not to stir or alter his breathing, Alex was able to deduce he was alone, sitting on a chair. Like a bad movie, he thought.

The sound of a door almost threw his facade off completely. In the still silence even his gentle breathing had seemed out of place. Whoever had just entered the room didn't bother to try to be sneaky.

"You're awake, and feeling has returned to your body," A male voice said. Alex did not recognize it, as he'd half-expect too. Through his history with MI6 he'd made a fair amount of dangerous enemies no teenager should half to deal with. And yet this voice also sounded like an adolescent too, just one who talked articulately. And with an Irish accent. "Open your eyes, Alex Rider."

Alex did as he was told, curious to the face of his captor. He was shocked to see the rather pale face, amplified by raven-black hair. Curious enough he had one rather intimidating fire-blue eye and the other was a much more settling hazel color. The boy was probably about a year older then him, if not more. He seemed to take himself very seriously, dressed in a pressed suit with a serious expression on his face. The room was lit well, but not so bright it would be blinding to Alex, who had been the equivalent of asleep. Everything here seemed . . . calculated.

"I trust that though you're body functions have returned, your vocal chords have not." The strange boy continued, walking over to a table quickly and precisely, as if even his movements were thought ahead beforehand.

Alex opened his mouth. All that came out was a rather embarrassing sound between a squeak and a croak. Very quickly he pressed his lips into a tight line. The boy had stopped next to a table, pouring water from a silver pitcher. At Alex's noise he gave a smirk and stopped pouring, heading towards him with the crystal glass. Alex had no doubt this boy was probably from a wealthy family.

And probably not a very honest one at that.

"You thought I lied to you," he said, amused. But even with the smile, Alex still found him somehow threatening. "Very well, it is understandable. I have, after all, brought you here against your will. Yet I assure you, Alex, I have no intention of harming you. The longest this transaction will take is probably around a few hours. Then I will have my companion take you safely home, and you can forget all about this."

Alex somehow doubted that.

The boy gave a sigh, "You still do not believe me. Here, try this for faith, you're not actually tied up. I only had my companion put those on you to keep you from harming yourself in your sleep. On occasion, the tranquilizer I designed myself has the side-effect of its victims having a particularly restless sleep. It was only a precaution. In your dreams, the rope would have kept you still, but as you are obviously healthy and fit, they should prove no problem for you. But I have to warn you, you might be a bit unsteady on your feet. I wouldn't recommend trying to walk yet."

Warily, Alex tugged at his wrists. He was shocked to feel the bindings come away at once, falling into the hands of gravity. He bent down to untie his ankles.

"Ah, I wouldn't-."

A wave of vertigo hit him immediately. Alex sat up at once, clutching his head.

The other boy scowled. "Ah, yes. My apologies, I forgot to mention that side-effect as well. Your equilibrium is a tad, eh, shall we say 'unbalanced', for the time being. It happens often in people with migraine problems or those waking from specific types of medications. Here," he outstretched his hand to Alex. "Drink. It will help."

Alex, unable to speak, glanced at it before looking back up at the other boy suspiciously.

He seemed to have caught the silent question. "No, its not water. Its the antidote to the drug mixed in with water, though its rather unlikely you'll taste it. If you do, it would probably taste similar to vinegar."

Alex debated, glaring at the clear and seemingly harmless liquid. The boy was ever-patient, completely at ease. After deciding he really had nothing to lose, Alex took the glass from him and downed it with one long chug. He had been parched, and he couldn't pretend that dehydration had also influenced his decision. As promised, he didn't taste anything besides water. When he was done, the boy seemed pleased.

"Better?"

Alex nodded.

"Good. You should be able to talk, then."

Alex opened his mouth and was pleased when only mildly hoarse words came out. "W_h_o are you?"

His smile faded. Again it was replaced with a face that was neither friendly or threatening. "My name is Artemis Fowl."

He was pleased his voice had only cracked on the 'who', regaining strength with each word. "Why have you brought me here?"

Artemis sat down on a chair Alex hadn't noticed, directly across from him. His attention had been to focused on the person in the room to actually really look around. "I need information from you, Alex. Do you mind if I call you Alex?" He shook his head. "Good. You are, according to your file, a tad too familiar with a group called Scorpia. I need to know if you can tell me anything useful. If you cannot, that is no problem. There is no bargaining for your freedom, Alex. Its a guaranteed thing. If you can't help me, so be it. My friends and I shall take on Scorpia blind. We've done worse before." A smile warmer then before appeared on his face, as if he was remembering some distant memory.

Alex had flinched at the word 'Scorpia'. The organization was a part of a very dark and terrifying adventure into his past. Now, he knew the whole truth. His father had also worked for MI6, the greater of the brother duo. His uncle, Ian Rider and his father, John Rider, had both been recruited into the organization of spies. His father had gotten himself killed after going very deep undercover with Scorpia. After that, his uncle had taken care of him, also dying later because of a mission from MI6. Not exactly the best history, but it was a true one.

"Taking Scorpia on blind is probably the dumbest thing you could do," Alex replied, bitterly. "And if you want useful information, you've got to tell me why you want it."

Artemis seemed to consider this before nodding. "Yes, it makes sense of course. Very well, Alex, I'll give you the brief version of why I am involving myself with a group with such a long reputation. They have kidnapped a family member of mine. A cousin, but more like a very dear sibling. The money they want is payable, but I don't trust them to hold up their end of the bargain. If at all possible, I'm going to return my family member before the transaction and pay the money nonetheless, so there are no hard feelings or vengeance."

Alex's side ripped with the ghost of pain, and once again he flinched. His hand automatically went to the bullet wound he'd gotten when Scorpia had sent a sniper after him for foiling their 'Invisible Sword' plans. Miraculously, Alex had survived, but any time Scorpia, guns, and bullets were mentioned, phantom pains would remind him of that nearly fatal attack.

Immediately, Artemis noticed. "My apologies once again, Alex. I had forgotten the vicious attempt on your life. It will not happen again, since it obviously make you uncomfortable."

He shook his head, waving it away. Alex brushed a stray blond hair out of his face. "No, never mind that. If you're really worried about Scorpia keeping their word, don't. The don't say anything they don't mean. Your cousin be returned if you pay. But if you're just hellbent on taking them on, a word of advice," he pointed to his chest grimly. "Pay the money. They're good, quick, and they've yet to be caught. They're especially dangerous when they're desperate, which they probably are, after two failed missions."

Artemis seemed to taking this all in, thoughtfully. "Yes . . . have you ever dealt with hostage situations?"

Once again Alex felt the urge to recoil, but did not. Instead, his expression hardened at the thought of his own father's hostage exchange. A part of him wondered why he was so willing to tell this stranger everything he knew, which could probably get MI6 in trouble. But he owed them nothing. Alex had known since it had all begun that he owed them nothing.

"It will go well so long as you have something to offer, like the ransom they want. Money is everything to these people." Alex took a deep breath, thinking. "Do you have a picture of this person?"

Artemis frowned, "I do, actually. Why would you need it?"

"Profiling. Depending on what they looks like, or how they act, they'll treat them differently. Threat or not a threat. If they're anything like I was, then it's probably a good idea for you to go after them before the little switcheroo you and Scorpia might have." Alex rubbed his head once again, fatigue eating at him.

Artemis once again noticed. "It seems I've been neglectful." He stood. "I'll fetch you something to nourish yourself with and a picture of my cousin, as you say you need. Anything you might prefer?"

Alex shook his head.

"Then I'll return shortly."

He watched as Artemis went out of the room, through the single door, looking around the room. He noticed a camera was there, in the corner, a red blip, not trying to conceal itself at all. Everything was straight-forward, honest, but strictly business. It was both disturbing and comforting. Alex then guessed everything about this Artemis kid was probably the same way.

Artemis came back about fifteen minutes later, with a sandwich, some type of juice, and as promised, a picture, face down, on the tray. He handed it to Alex, who balanced it on his knees. He ate carefully, so as not to rush his body. Everything was delicious.

Once again, his kidnapper waited. But Alex wondered if he really could call him a kidnapper. His only demand was information, and he didn't even have to give it. Artemis was just picking at opportunities to save his cousin. As he finished, Artemis took the tray from him, placing it on the table that had the empty pitcher but taking the picture in his hand. As Alex watch him, he became curious. The pitcher had only needed one cup-fill, anyways. Alex vaguely wondered what would have happened if his shaky hands had spilled it.

Artemis came back, picture clasped in his fingers, still face-down. It seemed difficult for him to look at it, and he quickly handed it over to Alex, as if eager to get rid of his reminder of failure. Failure to protect his cousin who was more like a sibling. Failure to help when it was needed.

Alex flipped it over. He was stunned.

The picture was modest in itself, but she made it beautiful. This was also surprising in itself. A _she_, as in a girl. Alex had actually been expecting a boy, like a brother to this Artemis instead of a sister. This girl was idealistic perfection. Alex had no doubt everywhere she went she was envied or craved for by onlookers.

The backdrop was that of a beach somewhere. Artemis couldn't help but glance at the picture, remembering where she'd gone, though guilt flooded through him immediately. The closest thing he'd ever had to a sister was missing, and he felt like it was his fault. The older brother in him that was normally reserved for Myles and Becket had a spot for her, too.

It was early morning in that picture. The light had just touched the edge of the balcony she was standing on, her lower body blocking the sheer white light. The sky behind her was a gray. She'd traveled all the way to California and had stayed in Monterey. She'd wanted to see an Aquarium she'd read about in a book, and Angeline Fowl had actually gone with her, to learn more about her new additional family member she'd heard so much about. Artemis was reluctantly dragged along, and at the time, the LEP had been waiting and watching in the shadows.

She looked down at the camera holder, who had been his mother. Artemis, actually, was also in the picture. Except he was glancing over his shoulder, on the far end of the balcony. His mouth was curved up in a slight smirk. Seconds ago, at the time it was taken, he'd been saying how it was dangerous for people such as themselves to be so out in the open like this. An easy take-out. Of course, though, he'd been ignored. At first he'd been a bit bitter before reminding himself that his family didn't need to worry anymore because their criminal. Ethryn was smiling slightly, her eyes sparkling even though the light was to her back. It was a spectacular shot, one that Mrs. Fowl was very proud of and had it tucked away in her wallet. Like Artemis, his family also had a bit of an attachment to Ethryn. Myles and Becket absolutely adored playing with her. She never seemed to grow tired of their games, or getting paint on her fingers. It fascinated her as much as it did them. Artemis Fowl Senior found Ethryn to be a charming and good-natured young lady, approving of the good influence she had on Artemis. At first, it had been suspected the two were more then friends, but it was quickly evident they couldn't be more then family. The fact she'd already kissed him remained their private secret, as neither felt like it was really a kiss, more of an information transfter.

Alex couldn't see this in the picture. All he saw was a still image of an entirely joy-filled and innocent young girl, probably around his age, smiling at the beholder of the photo, whoever it might be. He noticed Artemis's amused face in the background and glanced up at the boy. Anyone who could get this seemingly hard-hearted teenager to be genuinely happy had his respects.

He handed the photo back. "If she's as helpless as she looks, I doubt they'll do anything to her." But Alex noticed Artemis hesitate, and frown, deep in thought. Alex was taken off guard. "_Is_ she as innocent as she looks?"

Artemis almost smiled at the irony. An Angel being described as innocent. How fitting. Of course, Alex knew nothing of this, so he kept the amusement off his face. "Actually, she isn't. We felt it necessary to train her to defend herself. Surprisingly, she was a natural, and has since been, up until now, able to take care of herself."

"So long as they don't know that, she's safe I'm guessing." Alex then noticed Artemis's gaze shift once again. "Artemis, I'm trying to help you out here. I need everything if I'm going to help."

It sounded so strange, Alex realized. Like he'd known him forever. Once again Alex felt himself wondering why he was so willing to reveal Top Secret information (which, now that he thought about it, Artemis probably had no business having) to a stranger who very well could be lying to him. But seeing the anguish on his face, Alex knew it was no lie.

"She actually . . . attempted to kill her abductor." Artemis said, sound like he was biting each word. They all had an edge to them, the bitterness evident. "My dear cousin Ethryn would have succeeded, to, if the man had not been as quick as he was. We actually have the tape, if you would like to see it."

Alex shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Artemis glanced up at the camera and nodded. It had never occurred to Alex that they were being watched, but now that he thought about it, it made sense. Maybe Artemis was afraid of him, as he didn't exactly look particularly strong.

To his surprise, a square on the ceiling disappeared. A flat screen television descended slowly, automatically. It stopped in the center of the wall, filling up a majority of the space, and the lights shut off. It was like an eccentric movie for two. The image was all static for a moment before frames too quick for the eye to see fast forwarded to a specific tape. Then it stopped, and the play button showed in the corner.

Everything was at a normal pace now, revealing an extravagant room. Alex noticed a girl, with her back to the screen, sitting by the window. There was a knock, crystal clear, as if they were really there.

"_Come in!_" She had a lovely voice, Alex deduced. The door opened, and a man seemed to appear from the shadow of her door, and Alex heard her speak without looking up. "_Colleen, what do you think of getting a dog or a pet? Do you think-_?" Then her head turned, though they were still unable to see her face, towards the door. She stopped speaking. "_Who are you_?"

The man said, "_That's unimportant_."

"_What did you do with Colleen_?" Artemis's cousin looked apprehensive, but Alex saw her hand twitch under the pillow. What was she doing?

"_Irrelevant. Stand up and come with me, slowly. If you make any sudden movements, I'll be forced to-_."

Faster then Alex would have thought possible, the twitching hand revealed a knife, which was swung forward with impeccable force and aim. As Artemis said, she would have killed him, but he ducked, using that momentum to dart in front of her. This threw her off obviously, but she tried again, with a well aimed kick. He caught her foot and twisted, but she didn't make a sound, though even from behind her whole body was tense.

"_You disobeyed me. You will now be punished._"

"_Oh really? What are you going to do to me, then?_" Alex was surprised to find no fear in her voice. Only irritation. Most likely with herself, for missing with the knife and being to slow on the kick.

"_You, Miss Fowl, won't be awake for the ride._"

"_Ride_? _Where are you taking me!_"

Alex finally heard the fear he'd been waiting for.

"_In due time, Miss Fowl. In due time. Now, if you'll please._"

Then there was a glint of silver as he punctured a needle into her arm. The tape stopped, the TV ascending back towards the roof, and Artemis turned back to Alex.

"As you can see, she didn't come quietly. She's well trained." Artemis explained. "How do you think she'll fare?"

He bit his lip. "Probably . . . not well."

* * *

As promised, Alex was escorted home shortly after by a large man Artemis referred to as 'Butler'. At first, Alex thought he'd been tricked until Artemis laughed at his expression. Alex hadn't known he could laugh.

"Butler is my bodyguard." Artemis had said. "He won't harm you unless you threaten me or him, but mostly me."

Alex had just nodded warily and gotten into the car, after receiving a hearty thanks from Artemis. The sincere gratitude actually showed in his eyes as he shook Alex's one hand with both of his. He even offered his cell phone to call Jack. How he knew about Jack was beyond him, but Alex decided not to ask questions. He really just wanted to get out of this rather fancy estate.

"Hello?" Jack asked, after the fourth ring. She'd probably scrambled in her purse, with her one hand, to find her cell phone. He smiled a little at the imagery.

"Jack, its me, Alex."

"Where have you _been_, Mister? Its almost four O'clock! You could've at least warned me you were going to be late. I've been worried sick about you!" She shouted at once. "Where are you?"

"Don't worry about it," Alex replied, noticing Artemis smirk out of the corner of his eye. "I'll be home in about . . .?"

"Ten minutes, twenty if there's traffic. You're still in London, after all." Artemis replied, quietly. Alex nodded and repeated the notion.

"Alright. But don't do that again, Alex!"

"I won't. I promise. I would've called sooner, but, I had to take a test, and the jerk of a teacher wouldn't let me take out my phone to call. He said that as long as I was in his classroom, class rules still applied." Alex was surprised at how easily the lie came. Once again out of his peripheral vision he saw Artemis nod, impressed.

"Fine, whatever. Just hurry home, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Then he hung up and handed Artemis's phone back to him. The boy gladly took it, with a smile of understanding.

"It's a burden to keep your secrets from the ones you care about, is it not?" Artemis asked, sliding the phone back into his pocket. It was a very neat transaction. Being precise again, Alex noted.

He just shrugged.

As Artemis watched Butler drive away, Holly appeared beside him, having been shielded the whole time. The only reason Artemis had known Alex had woken up was because Holly was in the room, scanning him all the while with some 'borrowed' LEP equipment.

"What do you think we're in for?" She asked, solemnly. It wasn't often she sounded like this. Contemplating was Artemis's job.

Artemis considered everything he'd heard, and what he'd deduced. "Nothing to hard. But with us, it seems fate enjoys making things much more difficult then they need to be."

"Absolutely. What do you think this kid will think about it?"

The boy genius turned away from the window. "It's no concern of his. As far as he's concerned, his role in all of this is over the moment he gets home."

Little did they know they were very, very wrong. Someone had been watching the house ever since Artemis had arrived. The moment they saw Alex Rider, and a background file had been run, a plan had been devised.

* * *

Haha, couldn't just let them get away now! What do you think of Artemis and Alex's first conversation? I wrote it more out of Alex's point of view, because I just felt like it suited the chapter. Also, NO, I didn't have to look up the whole 'equilibrium migraine' thing. I actually, as a teenage girl, have that problem. :( It's like your whole balance is thrown off if you, for example, do a handstand into a forward roll. Surprisingly, if I do it quick enough, its rather easy. But that's beside the point, ITS A REAL THING. Not just a big word I made up, and not too serious. Just means you gots a sensitive-ish brain, somewhat. But I won't go into detail.

Hope this chapter was well-written!


	3. My Burden to Bare

**I saw this in the reviews and thought I would just give a reminder to the very first words I posted in my story.**

"_**THIS IS A SEQUEL! **If you haven't read the first one, you will understand NOTHING! Well, maybe a little. But, just so you know, the first one wasn't a crossover, it was just Artemis Fowl._"

**_writertron_**  
**_*nod* i like it. although i have no knowledge of this Ethryn character - is she from the newest book?_**

**_ i'd love to see where you're going with this :)_**

Now, I have no idea which book you're referring to, but I appreciate your comment. I find it a compliment that you think she's from a book. No, she isn't, sadly. I made her up in the first story, with just Artemis Fowl, though, now that I think about it, you probably were either unaware a first story existed, or you're mainly an Alex Rider fan, as he isn't in the first story. Its called: "**Artemis Fowl: A Fairy's Fairytale**."

Just a little bit of the basics though, in case you don't understand, Ethryn pretty much fell from the sky in the first story. Luckily, as always, Artemis was visiting Norway with his family and Holly tagged along, for the hell of it. They saw Ethryn (although she looked like a shooting star) fall from the sky. Holly retrieved her and Artemis and Butler took off vacation early. His family away, blah blah blah, Artemis shoots someone.

Now you kind of half to read it, because I'm not telling you anything else and your probably dying to know who/why/what he killed and how he reacted to that.

I'm having trouble with the villain here. Scorpia may be the ones doing the grunge work, but who hired them? And for what purpose? You'll find out when I do! XD

Blind writing is interesting.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
"My Burden to Bare"**

**London, Alex's House  
**

He'd barely gotten through the door when he was ambushed.

"Jack?" He'd shouted, walking into the kitchen. It was around 5, and the lights were off. That in itself was unusual, because Jack always turned the lights on around this time. Maybe she was taking a nap, he guessed. The painkillers did have a drowsy side-effect.

But-.

Alex felt that animal instinct feeling once again. Something was wrong. He bit his lip, almost drawing blood, and crept around the corner into the hallway, preparing for the worst. But to his growing irritation, he found nothing.

Then there was a sharp, blunt pain in his head and his vision went black.

Jack Starbright was, in fact, home. Had Alex made it all the way to her bedroom and opened the door, he would have found her fast asleep. As Alex had suspected, the medication she'd taken had made her sleepy. But just as a precaution, her medication had been switched with the much more reliable sleeping pills. She'd wake up in another hour or two, but until then, she was very much in a comatose state. When she did wake up, however, she'd find a note without fingerprints, and written in block writing that read:

_Dear Miss Starbright,  
Alex will be returned when the transaction between  
Scorpia and a clientele of ours is finished, as he may  
not be a problem, but we're taking the precautions  
nonetheless. Please don't be alarmed and it is not  
recommended you call the police. If anything, you  
should only inform MI6 that their favorite operative  
is unavailable for the time being._

_-Scorpia_

And she would, of course, call MI6, ranting and raving about how they'd once again gotten into a mess that a boy his age should not be having problems with.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Ethryn woke up, feeling extremely groggy. She hadn't felt like this since the last time her wings had been injured, not to mention her back was starting to pulse with discomfort. Her wings really needed to be let out. She had no idea how long they'd been tucked away, but as she examined her surroundings, she decided against it. Ethryn figured she'd get a chance to later, but now was definitely not the time. Warily, she slowly pulled her legs out from the blankets around her. It was a cell, but a very lavishly furnished one. The sheets were made of -what had Artemis called it at home?- silk, a very soft material she had decided. The comforter was of a material she couldn't name, but very much enjoyed its feeling. As her feet touched down on the carpet, it to was soft. She smiled at the thought her captor might think her very delicate, and everything might need to be 'safety proofed'. Ethryn guessed after attacking the man, he'd found this otherwise.

"You're up, then, Miss?"

She jumped at the voice, feeling the slight quiver of the dress she'd been wearing when she'd passed out float back to her legs as she spun around. Only one of the walls was not in fact a wall. Bars, carefully placed to allow her no escape were there instead. A woman, probably in her late 40's and withered looking, looked back at her plainly, as if this was nothing unusual.

"Yes," she replied, warily. "Eh, who are you, then?"

The woman didn't answer her, "Miss Koboi would like to see you now."

"Koboi?" Ethryn repeated. What kind of name was that? It sounded bitter, somehow. Like whoever owned the voice didn't belong in anything safe or friendly. She felt off. "What time of name is that, then? French? Dutch?"

The elderly woman just looked back, dully. "I'm not answering your questions. In fact, I don't register you've asked them at all." Then she blinked a few times. "Miss Koboi would like to see you now."

Ethryn knew something was off immediately and hurried forward, clinging to the bars and peering at the woman's face. If she was smiling, she might seem very friendly. But her eyes . . . why did they look so damaged?

"Are you alright?"

It was like someone had hit a replay button. She blinked again, which was starting to annoy Ethryn. "Miss Koboi-."

"Would like to see me now?"

The woman said nothing.

"Alright, then. Take me to her."

This time she got a different reaction. The lady pressed her hand against an unseen sensor on the wall, and the bars disappeared into the floor, freeing Ethryn. She warily stepped forward, barefoot, she realized abruptly, and followed the woman down the hallway and into an elevator. Much like her room, it was unnecessarily extravagant.

Their was a ding, and they came to a much more luxurious (if that was possible) hallway. The woman stepped out and Ethryn followed her, looking around in wonder and feeling the soft carpet beneath her still bare feet. Ethryn barely noticed the door open before the woman sloppily made a move to shove her inside. Ethryn watched her attempt and side-stepped it, curious. She flinched and felt guilt reek her through her when the lady ran into the wall, like she was drunk.

A peeling laughter, child like, filled Ethryn's ears. She jumped away from the woman, thinking it was her, that she was insane. Unintentionally Ethryn had now fully entered the room. As soon as she was past the sensors, the door swung shut and she screamed.

"No need for that," the laughing stopped. The owner sounded irritated.

Ethryn whirled around and stared at the creature before her. She wasn't ugly, not really. She was pretty, beautiful even, but in a way that made the angel mistrust her. She was conceited.

"Miss Koboi?" Ethryn asked, warily.

The fairy laughed at her. Yes, she was a fairy. Ethryn knew just by looking at her. Holly was a attractive, and there was something about her that made her prettier then the fairy in front of her.

"No need for such formal turns, Ethryn." She insisted, waving her forward. "Please, it's Opal. And you don't mind if I call you Ethryn, do you? I'm afraid I couldn't find your real last name in Foaly's system and I know it isn't _Fowl_." She spat the name, like it was an unholy word.

So she knew her heritage then. Ethryn sat down at Opal's feet and saw a small, prideful smile appear on her face. She then lowered her hands to the ground, in a form of submission.

"Miss Koboi, do you intend to harm me?" She asked, quietly, looking up from the floor.

Another pealing laugh escaped Opal's lips. "Of course not, my dear!" She stepped down from the throne-like chair, and placed one rather soft finger under Ethryn's chin, examining her face. "No one will dare lay a hand on that pretty face of yours."

Ethryn wanted to shudder away. When Opal had mentioned her looks, something dangerous had flashed in her eyes. Yet she resisted, praying on this most likely insane fairy's pity. She tried another tactic, "Miss Koboi, I don't believe I have the right to be before a face such as yours, with my own meager looks."

Immediately Opal's face lit up. "I knew we'd get along! I'm never wrong you know."

So compliments were the trick, then.

"Back to the point, though, my dear little angel." She continued, releasing her face. Ethryn felt a little better at that. "Of course, to throw off that idiot boy, Artemis Fowl, I needed to use Scorpia, to say they held you hostage."

"Whose Scorpia?" Ethryn asked, her brows furrowing.

Opal smoothed the creases with her finger. "Try not to frown, dear. It gives wrinkles."

Ethryn forced her face to relax.

"Good girl. Now, Scorpia is an organization that's lost a bit of power recently. It wouldn't be all too surprising for them to start kidnapping member's of the wealthy, they do it often. They've tried to kill many London children recently. Which makes it perfect, again, since Artemis will be certain its them when its not." She smiled at her genius. Ethryn swallowed the fear she felt rising in her.

"But Miss Koboi-."

"Opal, darling, _Opal_."

She cleared her throat. "_Opal_, you still haven't told me why I'm here."

Ethryn was really starting to get sick of her laugh. "Ah, so impatient! Very well, I'll explain why I've brought you here." She sauntered back over to her chair (throne), sitting down like she ruled the world. "You're an Angel, Ethryn. One of a kind. As am I: the smartest, most beautiful fairy that ever was or will be." Opal took a moment to run her fingers through her hair. "Anyways, I want to offer you a apprenticeship, Ethryn. In my past experience, the opposite gender is unreliable and troublesome. They're _worthless_. I need a _female_ as my assistant, one who can handle herself almost as well as me." She eyed up Ethryn. "And we will get their eventually. But as I have come to know, the Fairy People down below don't quite know everything you can do yet. Am I correct?"

Ethryn opened her mouth to answer.

"Of course I am." Opal finished, for her. Then she leaned forward a little. "So tell me, Ethryn. What is it you can do?"

The angel didn't really know what to do. Did she obey Opal, or try to make a break for it? Then again . . . what was the harm in just showing her what the LEP already knew? Maybe she'd find out a little bit more about Opal Koboi that could be useful for later.

Ethryn stood up and waved her hand out to her side. Her weapon glittered into view and Ethryn glanced at Opal, to see her reaction. The strange little fairy female seemed extremely pleased. With a small rebellious thought, she wondered if she was happy because of the ability, or because it was so shiny.

"Magnificent!" Opal hissed. Then slowly, a small smile crept on her face. Ethryn didn't like it. "And you're trained then?"

"Yes, Miss-." Ethryn cleared her throat, bowing her head a little. "Yes, Opal. For an Angel, I'm moderately trained, but according to the LEP, I'd far surpass a master by human standards."

Opal clapped her hands gleefully. "Really? Well, how about we try that out, then? _Kabisono_!"

Ethryn flinched at the shrill tone her voice hit. Who was Kabisono?

She soon found out. Turning around, she gave a jolt at the familiar man standing in the doorway.

"You remember Kabisono, don't you, Ethryn?" Opal asked, sweetly. Ethryn wanted nothing more then to sock someone in the face, her rage boiling over. "You're kidnapper, yes, but he was only so gruff to convince Artemis it was a real abduction from Scorpia. I thought you'd want a rematch."

Ethryn was furious. How had she been tricked into this?

"Now, try not to kill each other."

Ethryn was surprised at how strange her voice had become. Almost . . . metallic? She turned to see the hologram wave, disappearing. Ethryn was shocked. How had that happened? She'd _felt_ it! Holograms couldn't do that!

Before Ethryn could continue farther, she felt that keen awareness someone was about to attack her. She spun around to see the man lunging at her, and she ducked just in time to watch him careen over her head. He didn't fumble though, instead landing gracefully against the wall. Ethryn was ready now, tensing her muscles. She knew he was fast. Ethryn resisted the urge to release her wings, refusing to make herself a larger target. Not to mention she didn't quite know how Opal would react, if she didn't know about them already.

He jumped at her once again. Ethryn smirked; it was exactly what she wanted. She dropped to the floor, spinning onto her back and forcing her feet upwards. The man was kicked right in the stomach and smashed into the roof. Ethryn rolled away from under him as he dropped and jumped up, out of range. She waited, but he wasn't moving. Ethryn could hear his labored breathing as the wind had been knocked from him. He tried to force himself to his feet.

From hidden speakers, Ethryn heard that laugh she had a feeling she should start getting used to.

"One hit and he's out!" She shrieked through her joy. Ethryn clenched her teeth at the horrible noise. "My, my, it's a good thing he caught you unawares! You didn't even use your weapon!"

Ethryn felt pain in her back. Fighting without wings went against her nature. It was the time to release your anger upon your opponent, but she'd suppressed that urge, going with something simple but effective.

"Ah, Ethryn, you look tired. My servant will take you back to your room."

The woman appeared, as blank as before, in the doorway. She made a small gesture for Ethryn to follow her and, after rolling her shoulders to try and get the stiffness out of her back. When she reached her bed she sat down, watching the bars slide up from the ground to her 'room'. Ethryn made a face a lot like a snarl. Opal needed her for something. She may have been offering an apprenticeship, but she was still her prisoner.

Then, cautiously, after checking her surroundings, she let her wings loose.

Immediate relief flooded her. She let out a small sigh and stroked the silky feathers on her back, thankful they hadn't changed her. She didn't quite know what would happen if she let her wings out with no room to breath. Would the cloth rip, or would her wings just fold back into her body? It wasn't an experiment she was willing to try.

After twenty minutes, she knew she was pushing it. She pushed the wings back into her. Ethryn guessed she had, at a maximum, 48 hours until she absolutely had to let her wings out once again. Ethryn flinched before she fell asleep, imagining the pain she would be in by then.

When she woke up she didn't know what time it was. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she sat up and ran her hand through her hair, glad that it hadn't tangled as she'd slept. Ethryn pressed her hand against the wall, longing for a window. She rolled her shoulders, glad that the stiffness hadn't started yet. Vaguely, Ethryn wondered what today would bring, if it was even day. Here, there was no sense of time.

Ethryn stood up, walking towards the bars. She placed her hand on one and felt a chill run through her. Immediately she pulled her hand away, shivering. A small gasp also escaped her lips. Why was it so cold? The room wasn't cold. It made no sense.

Then she hear movement. Her brow rose. "Hello?"

More movement. Ignoring the stinging chill, Ethryn darted back towards the bars, clinging to them. She peered into the hallway, surprised to see a part of the wall had disappeared. In its place were the bars that she held.

Another prisoner?

She paled as a pale figure started to melt away from the shadows. Ethryn bit her lip fearfully, unsure of what she expected.

A boy, probably around her age, looked back at her. He was blond, with white skin. He had dark shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't been to sleep at all last night. Like he'd been forcing himself _not_ too. He also wore a dark expression, like he wasn't in the mood for anything. Ethryn's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Then his eyes widened. "E-Ethryn?"

Ethryn gave a start, inhaling sharply and shaking. "Who are you?"

* * *

**London, Ethryn's House**

Artemis gently drummed his fingers against the table, making a less-then-audible noise. He was not alone, in a room Ethryn had dedicated to studying Earth's culture. She found learning fascinating, which pleased Artemis, but also displeased him. Ethryn was more interested in history rather then mathematics or other things he found _more useful_. More important was a subject to be debated on for later.

Right now, Holly was in front of him, looking a little peeved he wasn't saying anything.

"Did you not hear me, Artemis?" She finally demanded, at last. "_Alex has been kidnapped_, probably because of us! Don't you care at all?"

Artemis mentally debated this, in silence, infuriating Holly all the more. At last, he said. "It seems our bad luck has spread to this boy." Another pause before sighing, "Very well. When we recover Ethryn, we'll recover the boy, as well."

"And the MI6?" Holly retorted, crossing her arms. "What are they going to say when a teenage boy hands over one of their most prized agents without any explanation whatsoever on how they got them back?"

He smiled at this, "The same thing they probably said when the very same teenage agent being returned with injuries."

"Which is?"

"Absolutely nothing. These government types," He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Depending on who you're dealing with, they're either- pardon my phrasing- money whores, or, such as those at MI6, people actually care about what happens to their country."

"Meaning?" Holly pressed, glad at least Artemis seemed to care about the boy they'd probably gotten into the mess he was in now.

"_Meaning_ they keep their mouths shut. They'll also not want to stir up too much trouble with an agent they shouldn't even have, let alone one they've used frequently. Which, thankfully, will mean less publicity for Ethryn."

Holly's brow rose, "I've been meaning to ask you about that. As far as the LEP know, she's a favorite among the press. Why haven't they been banging down the door, demanding to know where she is?"

"I've taken care of that," Artemis replied, opening the desk drawer and handing her a newspaper. "As you can clearly see, the press sends their best to her."

"She's going to need it with the situation she's in," Holly muttered, taking the newspaper. The headline she had already read, as it was in bold, block print with a smiling picture of Ethryn underneath, looking off to the side. '**Heiress Catches Illness: Cousin Rushes to her Aid**'. Holly gave Artemis as skeptical look. "That was the best you could come up with? Faking an illness?"

"It works for schoolchildren." Then he straightened, getting ready to defend himself with his real reasons. "Nonetheless, it explains my being here so quickly after her absence and why the press cannot be allowed to see her. It fits well enough. If you'd like to see just how well its worked, you can check over there," he pointed to a rather large door, "in the closet, where the 'Get Better' cards and general fan-mail is being kept." Then he frowned, slightly. "I've had time to read through them, as they all arrived separately, not in excess. I'll have to be having a word with the police about a particularly crude gentleman."

"Crude _how_?" Holly demanded.

Artemis's original frowned melted into a scowl. "This young man has made it very clear of his desire's for Ethryn, and insists that _when_ they meet, she will be enthralled by him that she has no choice but to love him forever. He's convinced they are destined to be together."

Holly's gaze also darkened considerably, remembering Tristan's approach to their friend. Then she smirked a little. "Her first celebrity stalker, she'll be so pleased."

"It also comes in handy," Artemis continued. "The press can focus more on that rather then the sudden illness."

"Fine, but back to the somewhat original point, what about Ethryn and Alex? When are we getting them back?" She demanded, fidgeting. Artemis had figured out long ago that when Holly fidgeted in the slightest, it meant she was very distressed.

Artemis gestured to another desk, on the other side of the room. "I've set myself to finding their location before anything happens. Sadly, Foaly is busy for the time being, and as we're keeping this quiet for both the LEP and humans to avoid trouble- both the person and the meaning of the word, I've attempted to find them myself, until Foaly is free to help us. That, obviously, is the first step to rescuing them."

"Alright, Artemis," Holly said, with a resigned sigh.

Artemis noticed the sudden mood shift immediately. As Holly moved to get up his hand shot out, gently retrieving her forearm as he stood up. She stopped, turning to look back at him. Holly seemed surprised at how quickly he moved.

"What's wrong?" He said, immediately. His eyes, both the blue and the hazel, were searching her matching set. Holly took a moment of thought to notice that despite how calming the color of her one iris was, Artemis could make it so disarming. Something inside Holly shuddered and retreated, making her defenseless. She didn't like it.

Holly shook her head, pulling her arm away. "It's nothing, Artemis."

Not believing her, he went around the table and took her hand in his, a very awkward gesture for both of them. "Holly, please, you know you'll just tell me eventually."

She glared at the vampire-like smile on his face. Inwardly, she shuddered once again. But unfortunately, it was true. Holly looked down at the floor and relaxed, mildly. "I can't shake this feeling that we're wrong, about something or another. And with our luck, whatever it is could get Ethryn hurt. Or worse, Artemis," she looked him dead in the eye. "Killed."

He pondered this a moment before giving a weak smile in return to her serious gaze. Holly's brow rose. "With our luck, we'll have a last minute, out of nowhere near death experience that we will somehow manage to survive. Mostly intact," he added, pointing to his eye that had once belonged to her. Then he smirked. "It's almost guaranteed between us. And I've got a feeling about this boy that he's got just about the same story. He is, after all, an agent. People have tried to kill him on multiple occasions, yet still he survives."

"Yes, long enough to be kidnapped again." Holly retorted. She then smiled appreciatively up at Artemis. "Thanks, Artemis."

His smirk became a somewhat affectionate smile as well. It almost stunned Holly, as he rarely liked to show his emotions. "Of course, Holly."

* * *

AHA! So, for those of you like: 'What the hell? Opal's in jail, with no powers to _mezmer_ people!' But haha! Second Opal came back from the past, remember? And, you're also probably thinking 'Ethryn should know about Opal! Why isn't she terrified?' Sadly, and thankfully, Artemis never told her about Opal. No one ever told her about their adventures and things like that. She's_ delicate_ :D

(SPOILER-ISH)

And yes, the boy in the other room is Alex.

No, MI6 will not sit by and hope Alex returns. They're doing a little digging.

**Explanation: I suppose some of you are wondering why Artemis, Foaly, and Holly don't want the LEP to know about Ethryn's kidnapping.** It's mainly because they don't want her taken out of Artemis's custody (because he's in charge of her, since she's above ground and what not, though the LEP were SUPPOSED to be watching her) and don't want the LEP to think they can't handle being in charge of her. Its very complicated, and shall be further explained as the story goes along.


	4. Not What I Thought

Mkay, continuing from where we left off, through Alex's point of view-ish.

Enjoy. Just to let you know, I was listening to an AMAZING Evanescence Remix while writing this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 4  
"Not What I Thought"**

**Elsewhere**

"Who are you?" She repeated, when he didn't answer her. He was just that surprised, the dull imagery of being brought in last night creeped back into his brain. He hadn't heard either of her questions as he remembered.

Alex had woken up while being dragged out of an elevator. He flinched as his shoulder somehow managed to hit a wall, though he had one man on either side of him, holding him up and taking him somewhere. Unlike Artemis, these people weren't very kind abductors. He guessed this was an entirely different situation, most likely caused by the teenager he'd met (what felt like, as he'd no idea how much time had passed since then) not too long ago.

They reached a gate, and a man sitting in a chair watching a television looked up at them. His brow rose as he examined Alex and stood, his arms crossed. "Well, what have we got here?"

The man on his left grunted before responding, "Some kid Her Highness wanted us to bring in."

_Her Highness?_ Alex thought, _I've been kidnapped by royalty?_

"Huh, why?" The gatekeeper continued, poking Alex's chest. He mustered up enough energy to look up and glare at the man, who simply laughed in response to the gaze. "You can't be telling me he's a threat?"

"Not really," The other man replied. "We just saw him leaving . . . _His_ house. We sent the picture over, they identified him as a threat to Scorpia, so Opal had us take him, to keep up appearances."

"How do we treat him? As a hostile?"

"Opal said average. Feed him, let him go to the bathroom whenever he needs to, just like a guest you leave alone."

As Alex listened to this, he tried to understand what was happening. Whatever had been done to him, it wasn't helping him think clearly. Drug or pain, he couldn't tell. He couldn't feel most of his body.

"Alright, bring him into the cell near her's." Alex heard, as he tuned back into the conversation. Then the gatekeeper glared at Alex, threatening him with a look. "I'm warning you, boy. If you wake her up, and Miss Koboi hears about it," he let out a low, humorless chuckle, "May God have mercy on you, boy, because she sure as hell won't. Now keep quiet, if you can move at all, and come on."

Alex was handed over to the man, roughly. He could support almost none of his weight on his own. With a sigh, the man grabbed him and hefted him over his shoulder, effortlessly. He was taken like this down the hallway. Alex wasn't sure how far they'd gone, but was carefully keeping track of turns, for whatever reason, until he saw a wall sliding away into bars. The cell seemed to have come from nowhere and he stared, slightly amazed. The gatekeeper placed Alex on his feet. By now, the boy was just extremely tired.

"You see that room, over there?" The gatekeeper said, jerking his head towards a dimly lit room. "Be quiet and listen a second."

Alex couldn't have talked if he'd wanted too. His silence was his reply, and after a moment of hard listening, some small, calm form of breathing was heard. Someone was asleep, he realized, not really surprised. The man had mentioned another prisoner. A female prisoner, he vaguely reminded himself.

"That's the girl you better watch yourself around," the man continued. "Don't bug her, don't say nothing if you know what's good for ya. If she mentions you to Opal, complaining at all, I wouldn't be in your shoes for nothing. Her Majesty prides herself on being able to capture her, not that it's any of my business."

Alex allowed himself to be locked inside the cell. Examining the rather large man with a flick of his eyes and judging just how tired he was, there was no way he could take him on, let alone escape. He immediately went towards the bed, acknowledging to the gatekeeper's advice with a single nod before he'd passed out.

Now, Alex was looking right at the girl previously mentioned, and she was glaring at him.

"Are you alright?" She demanded, hissing now. Then, she seemed to realize something, blinking a few times. "Can you even understand me?"

Alex blinked a few times in return before nodding, furiously. "Eh, sorry. I'm a little foggy right now."

This was not a lie, though, it wasn't exactly the only reason he hadn't responded immediately. After reliving the events of last night, the full impact of her beauty hit him. Even with a few hairs out of place on her head, and without the effect of luminescence the picture had given her, she was still beyond stunning. Most models and actors lost their beauty when the effects were gone, but she was only better in person.

Her face turned sympathetic. "I know what you mean. Sorry for snapping at you."

"Its fine," Alex replied, at once. "I . . . Wow, I never expected to meet you in person."

She seemed to have come to some conclusion. "You've read about me in the paper's then?"

Alex, surprisingly, hadn't ever heard of her before Artemis had told him about his cousin. He shook his head, "I know your cousin."

Her eyes lit up at once. She clung tightly to the bars. "When did you last talk to him?"

"Before I ended up here," He replied, with a frown. "He was planning on rescuing you from Scorpia." Ethryn's face visibly dropped, horror filling her eyes. Alex was confused, mildly. "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy? He's coming to get you."

"We're not being held by Scorpia," she replied, looking at the floor. "It's a fake cover, to throw Artemis off track. We're being held here by a woman named Opal Koboi. She has nothing to do with Scorpia, as far as I know."

Alex's eyes widened. This was . . . definitely unexpected. He didn't know what to say to that. "But you're alright then?"

Ethryn smiled weakly, "Yes, thank you for asking." Then she bit her lip, eying him carefully. "I mean you no offense, but, well, you don't exactly look well. You look very . . . tired. Have you been up all night?"

This was definitely not how Alex would have liked to meet a pretty girl, he decided. Somewhat unaware, in separate prison cells, looking like he was an insomniac was definitely not a way to impress anyone.

He placed a hand on his neck, grimacing a little. "Do I really look that bad?"

It appeared that was around the right thing to say. She jumped, like she'd been shocked. "No, no, it's just that . . .!" Ethryn bit her lip, appearing to be buying time to think of words. "You don't look bad, just _ill_." She finally decided.

"I can believe that," Alex replied. Then he waved, "I'm Alex, by the way."

She smiled. It seemed to radiate off of her. "Its nice to meet you, Alex." Then she scowled at the bars. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."

Alex shrugged, "I've been in worse situations, oddly enough."

Ethryn smiled fondly at the floor. "Oddly enough, I have too. That doesn't mean I'm quite used to being forced into doing things I don't want to yet." She huffed, crossing her arms and sitting on the floor.

"So, if its not for money," Alex said, slowly. "What do they want you for?"

Ethryn opened her mouth to reply when her eyes narrowed and pointed in the direction of the gate. Alex did the same thing and both backed off from the bars. Ethryn went back to her mirror, combing her hair. Alex went back to the bed, sitting and staring up at the ceiling. Neither one made a sound as the footsteps got louder. As a last-minute-decision, Ethryn put her brush down and waited for the person approaching.

The gatekeeper Alex had seen last night appeared, lowering the bars. Ethryn stood up, and Alex glanced over. His room wasn't as well-lit as Ethryn's was, so he remained hidden in the dark, free to look on as he pleased.

"Miss Koboi would like to see you now," He explained, bowing towards her in respect. Ethryn seemed to not know what she was supposed to do as she stepped over into the hallway. Alex noticed she was barefoot. Then he saw her head snap up and she took a step back. Though he couldn't do anything, Alex tensed.

"Hey Ray-," a new man approached, probably in his late teens, early twenties. At first, he was talking to the gatekeeper (Ray, now), but when he saw Ethryn next to him, he eyed her up. Even from his cell in the darkness, Alex could tell she was starting to get irritated. "Well, whose this little beauty?"

"None of your business, kid." Ray replied. Though he was obviously working on the other side, Alex had a bit of an admiration for the gatekeeper that followed the rules. "Tell me what you need to then get out."

"Well hold on, old man, I just want to meet her," He held out his hand for hers. Ethryn analyzed him, not moving. He snatched it up anyways, confident as if she's given it to him with a smile. "Names Denis. And you are?"

Before she could respond, he kissed her hand. Ethryn's eyes narrowed considerably.

"I wouldn't do that, kid." Ray warned, halfheartedly. To Ethryn, he said. "Opal's given you free-reign if any-."

He didn't have time to finish. Ethryn's knee shot up, to Alex's surprise, right into the man's chin. He was knocked backwards, onto his butt. Ethryn took the hand that he'd kissed and wiped it on her dress, seeming content.

". . . Of her worker's act out," Ray finished, with a mildly stunned expression. Then he laughed. "Kid, you just got your ass handed to you! Now what did I tell you about harassing people staying here?"

Alex noticed him avoid the word 'prisoner'. By the way Ethryn looked at him, he figured she had too. Then her eyes turned back to the man getting up off the floor and her gaze darkened again.

"Little bitch!" He snapped, unhappy. "Ray, you gonna let her treat me like that?"

Ray snorted, "You pushed your limit, kid. Hell, I'll let her kill you if she wants to, so I'd watch your tone."

As he watched the expression Ethryn gave the man on the floor, Alex was reminded of the saying 'if looks could kill'. She seemed to want nothing more then for him to go away. Denis took one long look at her before warily getting up, scowling at Ethryn the whole time.

"Miss Koboi said to feed the other one after you're done delivering her." He muttered before running off the way he'd come. Ethryn grinned with satisfaction.

"Alright, come on, little lady," Ray insisted, gently pushing her forward. "Now that you've had your fun, let's get you to Her Highness before she becomes impatient, shall we?"

Alex watched her depart. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this girl, but he knew one thing for sure: this was easily one of the strangest situations he'd ever been in.

* * *

**MI6 Headquarters**

"Mr. Blunt?"

A gray man, who never seemed to wear a smile, looked up. A woman entered the room. Her name was Mrs. Jones and lately, Alan Blunt was starting to question whether she had feelings for a certain younger agent. It didn't really matter, though, for said agent hadn't been needed for some time now.

"Yes?" He replied.

Mrs. Jones placed a file on his desk. "We've received a phone call from Miss Starbright. Apparently, Alex Rider has gone missing. Or, more specifically, he's been kidnapped by Scorpia."

If her boss ever showed expression, he probably would've looked curious. Instead, a single brow rose before lowering again. He took the file in his hands and opened it, reading over the phone call word-for-word. All phone calls were reported like this.

"We've already scheduled an appointment for her to come in this afternoon." Mrs. Jones continued. "Who would you like to do the interview?"

He contemplated a moment before shutting the folder and handing it back to her. "I'll do it myself."

Mrs. Jones was actually surprised. Mr. Blunt rarely did interviews himself. He had more important things to do then talk to strangers about their problems, however critical.

As if reading her thoughts (because her face was emotionless), he started his paperwork again as he spoke. "I expect you're wondering why I want to do the interview. It's simply because of the unexpected kidnapping. Not to mention Miss Starbright will probably demand to see me nonetheless and I have nothing scheduled this afternoon, either."

Mrs. Jones replied. "She'll be arriving at 4:00 p.m."

"Thank you. You may go now."

She did.

* * *

**London, Ethryn's House**

"Anything yet, Foaly?" Holly asked, her hands on both sides of her face as she watched the TV boredly. Foaly had been running a search engine for cameras that had seen either Alex or Ethryn. So far, nothing on either of them. And the search had been going on for about half an hour.

The centaur seemed frustrated. "I don't understand why this isn't working! I normally get results in seconds, if not minutes! It doesn't take half a freaking hour!"

"Calm, Foaly," Artemis said, levelly. "This is a well-known, organized terrorist group. They're extremely careful, or they wouldn't have been around this long."

"But wouldn't an organization like that want to keep an eye on their prisoners?" Foaly snapped back. "They should have cameras in the prison cells so I can see!"

"Not everything is tailored to your benefit, Foaly," Artemis replied. "And don't snap at me. I've done nothing wrong."

He took a deep breath, "Sorry, Artemis. I'm just not used to my machines taking this long to find the information I want. I guess I'm getting a little impatient."

"A little?" Holly retorted, with a smirk.

"We'll just have to keep waiting," Artemis interrupted, forcing Foaly to clamp his mouth shut before he could retaliate.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Ethryn stood before nobody, being forced to wait. She desperately wished to clean herself, but the bathroom she'd used before entering the room only had a toilet and a sink. Ethryn had been tempted to try and use the sink, but even decided against it. She'd use Opal's favor to her benefit to get a shower or a bath. It wasn't that she stank, so much as she just _felt_ gross.

Finally, she heard something behind her and turned. To her irritation, it was nothing.

Then that annoying laugh from the way she had formerly been looking.

"Tricked so easily, Ethryn?"

Ethryn turned back, shocked that Opal's throne was once again in place. "I . . . How did you-?"

"Technology works wonders, dear," She interrupted, waving her question away. "Now, I've got a curiosity dear. Just a little something I want to try out."

Her brow rose. She became apprehensive, "What's that?"

"If I were to take you to where you used to live, back to Ireland," She smirked. "Would Artemis find you there?"

Ethryn wasn't sure if she liked where this is going. "You'd let me go?"

"You act as if you're being tortured!" Opal shot back at once. Then she calmed herself, "Theoretically, Artemis _could_ take you from me. _If_ he was smart enough to go home, then he very well could retrieve you, easily. What use he would have staying at your house, I wouldn't know, but that's Artemis for you. A genius who misses the obvious, unlike myself. I miss nothing."

"Of course," Ethryn agreed. "Why would you take me to Ireland? For what purpose? Where would you keep me?"

"I want to rub his face in it that he could've taken you back in seconds. In fact, I'll bring that boy that was in his house too! He could've gotten you both back but he won't, unless he leaves London soon. That is my purpose, dear Angel. As for where, to just completely exploit the fact you were in Ireland, I'm taking you to a very public place. Do you know what karaoke is, dear?"

Ethryn pondered, "It's like . . . singing someone else's song."

"Exactly. I'm taking you to a place that stars go, and rather good singers. Celebrities go for publicity and those who think of themselves as 'undiscovered talent' go to try and attract attention from scouts. Seeing you there will be a surprise for no one, as you are, after all, famous. Although, according to _this_," she pulled a paper from nowhere, it seemed. Ethryn's eyes widened. "You're ill."

Opal handed Ethryn the news clipping as she read over news of her illness, Artemis coming to the rescue (so to speak) and the fact that the media wasn't allowed to see her. The editor wished her the best, though.

"I'll just have to send an update about that," Opal said, with a smile, as she took the newspaper back and patted her on the head. "We can't tarnish your reputation by having those nasty press accuse you of being a liar, now can we? Of course not."

Swallowing hard, she didn't know what to say. "I . . . Am I going to be dressed up for this, then?"

A lame excuse to buy her time to manipulate the situation, but Opal's eyes lit up. "Of course! I, too, shall be dolled up and disguised. I'm going as a friend of yours. Alex, myself, my entourage (which you will be borrowing, dear) and of course some guards, will be your friends, celebrating that you've become well! How does that sound, my dear? Out of that little room and free to do as you please."

"It's . . . a very generous proposal, Opal," Ethryn replied, with a smile. "Thank you."

"Of course." She replied. Then she smirked. "Have you met the other prisoner yet, darling?"

Ethryn nodded, "Yes. We spoke briefly."

"About?" Opal pressed, casually. But Ethryn knew what she wanted. She wanted to know if he had said anything about Artemis. Ethryn found it curious that no cameras were in her wing, but it wasn't her problem at the moment. "Come now, dear, you mustn't have been asleep all day. I want to know what a boy would have to say to a lovely girl like yourself."

"I mentioned he looked ill," Ethryn replied. "He said he figured it was because he'd slept like the dead last night. Then we introduced ourselves until your guard came."

Opal eyed her carefully before nodding, accepting the story. "How cute. Do you like him, dear?"

"I haven't spoken to him long enough, Opal. I don't dislike him though, he seems nice enough." She said. To be honest though, the last thing on her mind was Alex's attitude. As soon as she'd mentioned they'd be allowed out, in public, she'd already been informing an escape plan.

"Very well," Opal interrupted her thoughts. "I'll have you and Alex cleaned up for the ensemble. Do you like to make an impression, dear, or settle in with the others?"

"Settle. I try not to draw attention to myself," Ethryn replied, at once. A big, showy outfit wouldn't help her run. "It's just out of habit."

She smiled. Ethryn could almost feel the bitter edge to it. "Our looks will do enough of that for both of us."

"Once again, thank you." Ethryn bowed her head. "You've been very kind to me."

"As a hostess should be. Ray here will take you back to your room." She gestured to the gatekeeper in the door frame, who had never left the hallway. He'd been waiting for Opal's orders, like he always did. Ethryn turned to go with him. "Oh, and Ethryn."

She stopped and turned back, hiding her nerves. "Yes?"

"I hope you're still considering my offer," she said, with a look that implying look. Ethryn felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. "I want your answer when we return from your publicity stunt."

Ethryn swallowed and nodded, "Of course. You'll have it."

"Good. Now run along dear. I'll have a few girls help you with your hair and makeup before we go, and the dress I decide to pick for you will be given at around five in the afternoon tomorrow. We'll leave at 8 in the evening. And when you get back, Ray, tell the boy that I'll be taking his measurements soon. You too, Ethryn. I can't have your clothing ill-fitting."

* * *

Alex snorted. "A party? She's acting like were here on a social call!"

"Keep your voice down," Ethryn hissed, urgently. She looked around for a moment before giving him a warning look. "A word of advice, Alex. Don't speak ill of the enemy in their own house."

"Enemy?" Alex's brow rose. "I thought you'd appreciate her offer."

Ethryn looked down, clutching the bars. Her voice lowered, "I owe my cousin more then you can imagine. I wouldn't betray my family for anything, Alex."

After gazing at her for some time, he nodded. "I get it, really. I don't have much of a family outside my guardian, but I know what you mean."

"Heads up, kids!" Ray bellowed, from down the hall. He sounded amused. "Your tailors are here."

* * *

I've got a question for you guys. What do you think of Opal? Is she a tad too . . . flamboyant? I figured that after using her abilities to basically run an underground empire, by herself and using her own magic alone, she'd be pretty cocky. Plus, when she started going nutzo on the twin brothers she hired, she made them call her all sorts of "superior" names about her beauty and genius and whatever. She's not crazy.

Yet. (Intended dramatic singular word)

So anyways, just give me your thoughts on Opal (and Alex too, if you're finding him out of character. Hell, if you think Ethryn is differing from my original story, feel free to tell me). Constructive criticism though, people, not bashing. If you want to guess on where you think my story is going, that's welcome too. Just have at it with the comments (I don't consider them reviews)!

Till the next chapter.


	5. Say When to Run

No, my readers. I will not be a complete OOC author and make anyone sing. If anyone had to sing, it would be Ethryn, and however pretty I would probably make her voice, she will not be dancing or singing in this chapter! She hasn't even been properly educated in the ways of Earth music fully yet, and until then, this is not that kind of story!

Proceed to enjoy. For some reason, I really like the title chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 5  
"Say When to Run"**

**London, Ethryn's House**

"Artemis-."

Butler stopped when Artemis held up a hand and turned the paper around, his eyes stone-cold. His companion hadn't seen him so serious and emotionless in a long time. Butler saw the headlines on the newspaper and knew why.

"Get Holly," Artemis ordered, standing up and heading towards the door. "Never mind, I'll get her myself. Call-."

His phone rang. Both Butler and him stopped. Artemis looked at him in apprehension, as the ring-tone warned him that this was a caller who was not in his contacts. Artemis reluctantly walked back to his desk and snatched up the phone in his hand, glaring at the two words that gave the person on the receiving line the upper hand.

**'Unknown Caller**'

Artemis flipped the phone open, "Who is this and how did you get my number?"

"This is MI6, Mr. Fowl. We've got some questions for you."

One of Artemis's brow rose and he mouthed 'MI6' to Butler. The manservant nodded and Artemis placed on hand on his desk, his fingernails drumming on the wood. "Then I doubt your contacting me on a social visit. What purpose do you have calling?"

"Do you know an Alex Rider, Mr. Fowl?"

Artemis smirked. "We've a shared friend."

"That information, Mr. Fowl, is top secret. Under no circumstances should you know about Alex."

"If that's what your concern is, as far as the press goes, I don't know what they're talking about," Artemis replied. Then his attitude became more serious. "But although that must be a problem, I doubt that's why you're calling. You're only talking to me because you're under the impression I had something to do with his recent kidnapping, correct?"

"That's exactly what we think, Mr. Fowl." The MI6 representative replied. "And we would appreciate some answers."

"I doubt you'd give me much of a choice," He retorted. Then he sat down at his table. "Very well, I will give you the short version."

"We would prefer the long version."

"And I don't have that kind of time, because at the moment, your agent and my cousin could be anywhere." Artemis said severely. He was perfectly willing to talk to them, as avoiding them would only make him a target. A part of him had been expecting this call. Artemis of course already had his words carefully chosen. "In summary, my cousin has been kidnapped by Scorpia. You've probably heard of her, she's very popular here, for whatever reason. Thankfully, all they want is money, which my family can easily provide. Yet I felt uncomfortable dealing with such a well-known organization and wanted information. That's where your Alex comes in. I simply asked him a few questions about, and sent him on his way. I meant no harm to him, and after realizing the trouble I'd gotten him into, I intended to buy back his freedom as well. It is, after all, my fault Alex has been taken from his life for the time being."

"The resident living here is name Ethryn, correct?" The receiving end replied.

"Yes."

"According to you, Mr. Fowl, she's sick."

"And?"

"Why didn't you go public with the kidnapping?"

"Unnecessary attention," Artemis stated. "I very much doubt MI6 wants that fifteen minutes of fame either. Saying she is sick is like writing a doctors note. It is an effective and reasonable excuse." Artemis glanced over at the newspaper, staring up at him. "You have no more questions for me, then?"

There was a pause. "It would appear so. But we will be keeping in touch, Mr. Fowl."

"Goodbye then." And he hung up. First, of course. Artemis Fowl always hung up first on transactions like this. He sighed and rolled his eyes at Butler. "Its a sad thing when our government doesn't think to read the newspaper every once in a while."

He glared down at the headline. '**Ethryn Cured: Celebration Site A Mystery**'

Butler nodded. "Lucky for us, though."

"I don't believe in luck, Butler," Artemis reminded him. Then he smirked to himself. "Just fairies."

"Was that a joke, Artemis?" Butler replied, at once.

Artemis scowled, saying nothing.

His friend was amused. "Holly is starting to rub off on you, Artemis."

This didn't seem to please him all too much, "I know, Butler. I know."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Ethryn hadn't enjoyed the tailoring. When Artemis had suggested she get her measurements taking for her clothing, it hadn't been all that bad really. He'd had experts come in, where they took her sizes within seconds. The woman had been kind and quick. Artemis had stood by the whole time and had given them his approval, which pleased them greatly. It wasn't every day you made a customer out of a Fowl.

But these people were slow. Her arms ached a little. She wasn't allowed to talk, and had to breath funny, so that her body didn't move. Ethryn wondered what Alex was doing, if he was fairing any better. After what seemed like hours though, the little old woman had finished. Unlike the first lady Ethryn had met, she seemed . . . _sober_ was probably a good description. It seemed only about half of the staff working here were off. What Opal had done to them, she could only guess, as she herself couldn't do it.

Something the LEP had tried to get her to do: _mesmer_ people. Artemis had volunteered to be the test subject. He knew the LEP would be reluctant to allow her to try it on a fairy, as it was against their inner beliefs. It was very much like a silent rule. Yet no matter how hard she tried or the different tactics she'd attempted, Ethryn couldn't do it. It seemed beauty was her only form of persuasion.

"Are your arms killing you too?" Alex shouted to her now, as both of them changed back into their other clothes. During the fitting, they'd been asked to wear shapeless outfits.

Ethryn scowled as she pulled the shirt off. "I haven't been this sore in a while."

Alex paused, after removing his own shirt. "You know, I still don't get how someone who looks . . . well, no offense, _defenseless_ as you has been in worse situations then a kidnapping."

She snorted, slipping the skirt. "Yes, because the average teenage boy gets into these kinds of messes as well."

"Good point," Alex replied, slipping his old shirt over his head. "But at least we get to clean up because of this idea of hers."

Ethryn nodded vigorously, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I've felt gross since I got here."

"Sweat will do that to you," Alex said, shoving his legs through his pants.

"Sweat?" Ethryn paused, her dress on the floor, ready for her to step into and pull back up. "I haven't-."

"You talk in your sleep, Ethryn." Alex interrupted, fixing himself in the mirror they'd left in his room. Ethryn had a matching one in her room. "A lot, actually. Really weird stuff, no offense."

She tensed, slowly pulling the white fabric up from the floor and over her shoulders. "Like . . . what?"

"I can't really remember," Alex admitted. "I was half-asleep myself. Something about fairies . . .?"

She paled, glad he couldn't see her. "O-Oh. Yes, I read a lot of mythical creature books back at my house." She forced her voice to sound a little embarrassed. "My caretaker always teased me for talking about it in my sleep."

"Its only sometimes," Alex reassured her. She could hear he was amused though, and Ethryn immediately felt relieved. "I've only heard it once, last night."

Ethryn approached the bars, "Alex?"

After a pause, he came up to the bars as well. "Yeah?"

Alex watched her look at the floor. She lowered her voice considerably. "Do you think . . .?" He waited. She took a deep breath to calm whatever nerves were acting up and looked him dead in the eyes. "_Do you think we'll would be able to escape_?"

He could barely hear her, so he was sure no one else had. Alex's expression hardened. "It will probably be the only chance we get."

She bit her lip, quivering, "She makes me nervous. I'm scared. We could get hurt."

"I know," Alex assured her. "I know."

* * *

**Ireland, Above-ground (Airplane)**

Alex had watched Ethryn be lead out. She had taken a nap to calm herself, and Alex hadn't heard her talk again. A while after her disappearing, someone had come for him too. Alex had felt relief wash over him as soon as he'd been shown where he could clean himself. It was a bathroom but he really didn't care, so long as he could clean himself. When he'd finished, he'd been shown all fresh clothes that he was to wear, undergarments included. It had disturbed him a little just how thorough they'd gone, but he'd shrugged off his discomfort and put dressed. Right now he was looking in a mirror in an airplane. He hadn't seen Ethryn since she'd left their prison.

There was a knock at his door. "Are you decent?"

He turned towards the door, "Yeah."

The door opened and a man was there. Alex recognized him at once.

Ray motioned him forward, "Come on then. Ms. Kaboi said we'll be landing soon, and she wants to see how you look." He eyed up Alex for a minute. Alex had never liked suits. "You clean up good, kid."

"Thanks," Alex replied, following Ray out. It was a luxury airplane. He vaguely remembered another airplane that had blown up after he and Sabina had barely made off with their lives. But he shook the memory off and stepped out into the open, where he heard a woman talking. Alex hadn't met Opal Kaboi yet (though Ethryn had made it clear her laugh got irritating very quickly) and he was curious.

". . . more of a talent show then a real performance restaurant." The voice said bitterly. "But, I suppose if those seeking entertainment in luxurious accommodations go, then we can to, don't you think, dear?"

Ray cleared his throat.

"There you are. Step aside, let me see him," Opal ordered. Alex just sort of knew it was her voice snapping at people.

Ray did as he was told. Alex saw Opal immediately.

She was petite. Not very tall, but reminded him of 'Hollywood beauty'. Everything was overdone, to attract the eye. But it wasn't real beauty, more like an illusion of care products and surgery instead of smoke and mirrors. Still, she was pretty. Her feline-like approach made Alex uneasy though, and he kept emotion of his face. Opal gave him a once-over.

"Come here, boy. Let me see you."

Alex did as he was told, moving to stand just a few feet in front of her. Opal stood up, in red heels (he found it hard to believe she was shorter then the barely 5 feet she appeared to be) that glittered in the lighting. She walked around him, examining every detail of the outfit she'd chosen for him. Finally, once she'd gone all the way around, she sat smiled and sat back down.

"He looks perfect. Of course he does, I picked it out. What do you think, Ethryn?" Opal pushed some hair out of her face, basking in her own praise on Alex.

Truth be told, Alex had been so focused categorizing Opal that he hadn't realized she'd been in the room. His head snapped to the right immediately and he froze.

Ethryn had her hands folded in her lap, her head bowed a little bit. Whether it was in submission or depression, he wasn't sure, but she chose that moment to look up.

"He looks very nice, Opal."

Her black hair looked all the more lustrous. Her makeup was modest, as there wasn't much to enhance. She made it look like a masterpiece. She had on a light violet dress and black shoes that weren't heels. She smiled at him, a little of the light returning to her eyes. Alex wouldn't dare say it, but she looked far better than Opal.

"Do you like what you see then, Mr. Rider?" Opal's amused voice intervened in his staring. He snapped out of it at once and looked back at where the woman sat, with a smirk. "Of course you do. I ordered all of that myself. Now sit down, right there."

She'd pointed to seating on Ethryn's side, next to her. The seats face each other, like a limo, connecting like a booth. Alex sat down and Ethryn watched him all the while.

"Anyways," Opal continued ranting about the restaurant, like Alex's appearance meant nothing to her. In truth, it really didn't change anything, except now there was one more person to listen to and adore her. "Like I was saying, it's absolutely tasteless!"

* * *

**London, Ethryn's House**

"They could be anywhere!" Holly shouted, exasperated. "Come on Foaly, your camera detectors need to start working again."

"I'm trying, Holly," The centaur recoiled, obviously hurt by her snippy attitude. "I just can't find them anywhere."

Artemis had his hand on his chin, in thought. "What about searching in the spots that there aren't cameras?"

Foaly gave him a blank look over the screen. "Genius idea, Mud-Boy. Except, well, we can't see anywhere there _aren't_ cameras because we're looking _through_ the cameras. Get it?"

"I _meant_," Artemis's eyes narrowed. "In very few places can your cameras not reach, Foaly. Whatever is out of your range, pull up in a list. We can look through the places missing and scout out where they are."

The centaur stopped, blinking a few times. "I . . . I didn't think of that."

It took them about ten minutes to come up with five final solutions.

"So they're either in Africa-."

"Definitely not," Artemis interrupted. "There's nothing to celebrate with there. Name the more luxurious places, Foaly. And try to determine things past an entire continent."

"There's always the Bermuda Triangle."

"Foaly," Holly said, with a warning tone.

"Alright, alright," Foaly grumbled, turning back to the list his computer had come up with. "Eh, airplanes? No technology allowed on those."

"Likely," Artemis admitted. "But we need a landing."

Foaly glared in thought. "Where would a terrorist group go with prisoners?"

"You know what I want to know?" Holly demanded. She didn't let anyone answer. "Why would they risk them out in the open in the first place? To rub it in our face that they have them? It doesn't sound like the hard-core group everyone takes them to be. It sounds petty, actually. And just plain dumb."

Artemis's eyes widened. He sat up at once. "Of course!" He looked at Holly, as if seeing her for the first time. "I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier."

"Some genius you are, then," Holly muttered, leaning away from his gaze.

* * *

**Ireland, Restaurant and Entertainment**

"M-Miss Fowl!" The waiter gasped, seeming shocked. "We certainly didn't expect you here tonight."

Ethryn had been forced to speak, as Opal was supposed to be only the entourage, along with the guards and Alex. A few females were with them as well, all of them the youngest of the employers. Ray was back at the plane, keeping guard. That served them well enough. These were untrained, cocky guards. With any luck, they'd be able to get away without much trouble.

"I'm celebrating my getting better," Ethryn replied, with a smile. "You aren't full, are you?"

"Of course not!" The woman snapped at a bunch of workers who immediately raced down towards the better seats. Now that Alex looked around, it might not be so easy to get out inconspicuously. Sure, maybe in a more crowded area. He'd seen a neon sign for a club next door and wished they'd been taken there, where it was hard to stay together instead of the other way around.

"This way," A waiter said, rushing up to them. She gestured for them to follow. Ethryn hesitated and Opal lightly pushed her forward. Nobody noticed the exchange except Alex and a few members of the entourage.

"We hope you enjoy the show," She said, after seating them. The lights dimmed. People clapped.

"It has . . . potential," Opal said, after the woman left. "What do you think Ethryn?"

"It's really nice," Ethryn agreed, taking a sip of the water. Opal turned away from her, towards the show, as did everyone else. It was someone who decided tonight was a night for comedians.

Alex and her met eyes briefly. This was the perfect chance.

'Bathroom', he mouthed to her. 'One, two, three.'

"I have to-." They both said at the same time, then stopped, staring at one another.

Opal turned to them, glaring. "What?"

"I think they both have to use the facilities," One of the entourage commented, clearly amused.

She looked suspiciously between the two of them. "Do you now?"

"Yes," they both said in unison before looking at one another again and looking away.

Opal frowned. "Well . . . I suppose it can't do any harm. Go to the bathroom before you . . . never mind. Just go." She rubbed the sides of her head before both of them stood, making their way to the bathroom in the back.

Or so she thought.

"What are we going to do?" Ethryn breathed, once they were out of earshot.

Alex bit his lip, "We need a distraction."

Ethryn thought about this, pausing as they pretended to look for the bathroom. Both of them could feel Opal's eyes burning into their backs, ready to send her guards after them at a moments suspicion.

Then she nodded, watching a female waiter pass. "I can do that."

Alex's gaze turned confused, "What are you going to do?"

"Just wait by the door until you hear something, okay?" He said nothing. She stopped one of the waiters. "Excuse me, where's the bathroom?"

"That way, ma'am." He pointed. "Around the corner and-."

"Could you walk us there?" She asked, shyly. "My friend and I have a terrible sense of direction."

"Sure." He replied, all too happy to help out a pretty young lady like herself.

They walked around the corner and Alex felt Opal's suspicious gaze evaporate once she realized they weren't going to bolt for the door. She really did believe they needed to go to the bathroom and were just so clueless they needed to be escorted. The three of them made it to the door, out of view of Opal. Alex took one last look at Ethryn, who was speaking to the waiter. She allowed him a meaningful gaze and Alex went inside, waiting against the door.

Ethryn turned to him with an overly friendly smile. "What's your name?"

"Henry," He said, catching her vibe at once. "I'm always happy to help out a pretty customer."

"Really?" Her smile turned into a flirtatious smirk. Ethryn wanted to gag, as she felt terrible for using this boy, but she needed help. And this was the only idea she had. "I actually did have a little something in mind. A prank to play on my friend onstage, but, a family friend is with me, and she won't let me out of sight-."

"I could help out," The man said at once, though the reluctance was plain in his eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

Ethryn beamed at him.

Alex heard it at once. When he'd walked inside the bathroom, he knew he'd need to do something. His first impulse was to pretend he'd gotten something on his hands. Alex walked to the sink, turning on the faucet and washing his hands. He must have washed his hands five times (no one had noticed, as people continued to walk in and out) before he'd heard the glass shatter. Immediately he darted out of the bathroom.

To his surprise, he found more chaos then expected. He stood there, stunned and trying to comprehend what Ethryn could have done before she was suddenly darting down the hallway, in front of him.

"Come on," She shouted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the back.

Alex didn't need to be told twice. The two of them ran towards the back. Alex wasn't quite sure what was going on, but Ethryn had a little bit of something similar to a plan. She'd casually mentioned her fear of fire to the waiter who she'd conned into short-circuiting the light-bulbs (he actually thought he was shut shutting the power off, but Ethryn knew better then to cut the wires she'd instructed him to). They'd exploded in fact, giving them the effect of being shot at. That's why there was so much panic outside. Guilt wreaked havoc in her system, but she couldn't stop to think of it now. She'd already gotten his full name. If he was fined or fired, she would make sure Artemis repaid him when things were settled once again. Right now, they were headed towards a back exit.

Alex saw their destination and sped up, tempted to lose the jacket. But he didn't, having a feeling he might need it later. Surprisingly, Ethryn kept up with him. Alex knew he was a fast runner but figured this was just another part of that 'training' Artemis had mentioned he'd given his favorite cousin. Rich people. Who understood their logic?

They shoved at it. It didn't budge.

"It's locked!" Alex hissed.

Ethryn bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She could take out her weapon . . . but she couldn't do it in public. Maybe (doubtfully) Alex could handle magic, but definitely not a crowd of already panicked individuals. Ethryn swallowed the bile in her throat when Alex saw it.

The kitchen.

"Come on, this way," He said, pulling her towards the door. People were running out of it. Nobody would notice, hopefully. Even if they did, he was just going to grab something hard to break the lock with and then run back to the exit.

The two teenagers managed to get in just before the door swung shut, which would have locked them out. They entered in, careful not to get in anyone's way. Somehow, nobody noticed. They were too busy with dishes and worrying about what was happening outside to really care. Alex looked around, not really sure what he was looking for. They'd gotten halfway through the kitchen when the door burst down. Both of them turned in shock.

A couple of the guards had found them. One pointed, "There they are!"

The staff then noticed the unwelcome guests in their kitchen and gave shouts of surprise. Alex didn't waste anymore time and saw his target, glad they were on the first floor. He tugged on Ethryn and she looked at him. The two took off running, not bothering to be sneaky anymore. Shocked at the burst of speed, the men followed after them. It took Ethryn a little while longer to see his target: a window.

Alex jumped up on the counter with her and took a swing, forcing it open. Ethryn ducked in, not bothering to be careful about it. Alex did the same and slammed the window shut, though he doubted it was needed. The grown men were too big to get through the window. They had some time, but no doubt they'd pick up the trail again if they didn't move. It was dark out now, and they were in a back alley somewhere.

A lone Hispanic woman looked at them in surprise, next to the door.

Ethryn ran up to her, "Ma'am, please, we need to get inside that building."

She blinked at them, "Lo sentimos, no hablo Inglés."

Alex cut in, glad of the Spanish he knew. "Tenemos que conseguir en el interior del edificio."

The woman's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "No puedo dejar que nadie en su interior. Voy a meter en problemas."

Ethryn was shaking with fear now, praying the men didn't catch up soon. "Le pagaremos generosamente, señora. Por favor, nos dejan en el interior!"

She looked between the two of them. Somehow it didn't surprise Alex she spoke Spanish. "No lo sé. . . ¿Para qué? "

Her eyes narrowed. They didn't have time for this. "Alex, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it! Trust me!"

He did, reluctantly.

Ethryn released her wings and the woman screamed. Alex was tempted to open his eyes but didn't, trusting her. Thankfully Ethryn had mentioned during her fitting her preferences of backless dresses, and there was no tearing. Just a small whisper of displaced wind, along with the ladies harsh cries. She knew very well about Earth religious beliefs, and how Angels were both a blessing and something to be terrified of/respected and she was going to use it to her advantage. She forced herself to stay stern instead of recoiling at the thought of terrifying this other person. Ethryn put her wings back in.

"You can open your eyes, Alex," Ethryn muttered. He did. The only thing that had changed was that Ethryn was glaring at the woman, and the stranger was now shaking and staring at them in horror. "Tienes suerte de que no hizo mucho más que asustar. Ahora abre la puerta, a un lado, y hablar nada de esto."

The woman nodded vigorously. "Sí, por supuesto, señorita! Eso sí, no me haga daño!"

Alex's brow rose at Ethryn. "What does she mean 'don't hurt me'?"

Ethryn just shook her head as the woman jammed the key into the door and turned the lock, ushering them inside. Alex watched her curiously as she made the sign of the cross and watched Ethryn intensely.

"You'll have to tell me what you did, later," Alex told her.

"I know," she muttered. Alex wasn't sure what to think of her expression as she'd said that. Her face was dark, as if not looking forward to the fact she would have to share whatever secret she was keeping. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

**The chase is not over!**

**If you want to know what they're saying, here it is.**

Woman: Sorry, I don't speak any English.

Alex: We have to get inside that building.

Woman: I can't let anyone inside. I'll get in trouble.

Ethryn: We'll pay you generously, miss, please just let us inside!

Woman: I don't know . . . why should I?

-After Ethryn Makes the Woman Pee a Bit-

Ethryn: You're lucky I didn't do much more than scare you. Now open the door, step aside, and speak nothing of this.

Woman: Yes, of course, miss! Just don't hurt me!

And that's what happened. Sorry if it wasn't spot on, my Spanish is a bit rough.


	6. Defective

And the chase isn't over!

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6  
"Defective"**

**Ireland, Building  
**

Alex watched the woman scurry away, still muttering prayers to God under her breath. Ethryn's face softened when she saw this, guilt flashing across her expression. Before Alex could ask, he spotted a door. Then he remembered they didn't have time to ask questions now. He grabbed her hand and shoved the door open, pulling her inside at once.

Yet he still hadn't forgotten to ask her what she'd done later.

To both of their dismay, though, it wasn't exactly a place they could just pass through quickly. Bodies, music, and flashing lights pulsed together in a swirl of energy. Ethryn gazed curiously though. She'd seen something similar to this on television, but had never really been curious enough to visit a 'club' herself. They now knew why they weren't allowed inside. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air.

This was a 21 and older club.

"Great," Ethryn groaned. "If we don't get caught by Opal, we get arrested."

"Rather arrested then imprisoned," Alex replied, tugging on her wrist and forcing her to the edge of the club. "We'll keep to the outside and hope nobody notices us. And _don't let go of me_, got it?" She nodded. "Let's go."

They ran, weaving in and out of the gaps the dancers created. The guards lined the entrances, not the exits. You could only open them from the inside, and besides, there were cameras, in case someone tried to sneak their friends in.

Somehow, though, nobody noticed two teenagers (who were rather overly dressed for a club) running through the crowd and towards the exit of the building. Vaguely, through the blood pounding in her ears, she wondered if this was the building she'd seen on their way to the restaurant. If so, then she very well would have gotten her wish to be here instead of with Opal.

Now she wasn't sure what to think of that.

Alex saw the bright red 'Exit' sign within reach and shoved it open. Just as he did so, someone gave a shout at them. He didn't turn around to look, but Ethryn did, and paled.

More guards had managed to find them.

"Go!" She shouted, pushing herself even more, if that was possible. Alex didn't need to be told twice and slammed the door behind them. Ethryn was glad that the men had been on the other side of the dance floor. It was by mere luck (on Opal's part) that they'd seen them at all. Now things were getting harsh.

"How far away?" He gasped out at her.

She replied back, "Across the floor. Where to now?"

They were once again in an alley. Alex was really starting to hate these brick, grimy walls on all sides but one. But getting too close to the street was dangerous, should anyone be patrolling around for them.

Ethryn looked up. "Oh, dear."

Alex did too and saw what she was looking at. He took a second to consider it. "I don't really think we have another choice."

She bit her lip, but nodded apprehensively. "O-Okay."

He moved over to the ladder heading straight up, onto the roof. The buildings were close together. If they got lucky, they would be able to jump onto another roof and climb down. Alex frowned and attempted to move it, but it didn't budge. He sighed in relief as he began his ascension, glancing down to make sure Ethryn was following.

"Scared of heights?" He called down to her.

Alex thought he heard her scoff, but he wasn't sure. Her reply was, "Not in the least."

Ethryn had, in fact, scoffed at the question. A creature of flight afraid of being away from the ground? Hardly likely. Although, it was a known disease back home that Angel's could be afraid of heights. It was a rare, but not unheard of phobia. Thankfully, though, Ethryn didn't have it and nor did anyone she knew.

"Good," Alex replied. "Because when we get to the roof, we're jumping to the next one."

Now _that_ made her nervous. She bit the inside of her cheeks, nervously. Ethryn knew very well her natural acceptance to air would help her, but what about Alex? Her thoughts were pulled away from her as her sleek shoes slipped, making her cry out. Alex stopped at once, swinging out to look down at her. She was clinging to the ladder, slowly pulling her leg up and placing it more carefully on the ladder.

"You okay?" He asked, alarmed.

She swallowed hard, but nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"Okay. Be careful, alright?"

"Alright."

They kept climbing, without any other slips. When Alex managed to pull himself up onto the ledge, he turned to assist Ethryn. It was weird, having to worry about someone besides himself for once. Sure, he'd been on missions with other agents but they had always been supposed to take care of him. Even though it hadn't turned out like that in the end, it was still something he wasn't used to. But as Alex watched her smile her gratitude, he had a feeling it would start to come naturally.

"Which one, then?" She asked, looking around the rooftop.

Alex knew what she was asking. Which roof was closer? He scanned them, wondering why he was in charge if Artemis claimed she was so well trained. But now wasn't the time to question anything besides 'best chance'.

He pointed, "That one."

They walked to the edge of the roof. Both of them judged the distance between and Ethryn refused to look down, glancing towards where Alex was fighting against the urge to just throw up then and there. Ethryn was truly terrified for him. What if he fell? Of course, she had no concerns for herself but others. Selflessness was, according to Artemis, one of her major problems but she wasn't willing to change anytime soon.

The distance between this roof and the next wasn't too large, but enough to make them nervous.

Ethryn gulped, "Y-You ready?"

Alex nodded, determination setting into his features. If they fell from this height, they could probably guarantee a broken leg, if they were lucky and just fell straight down instead of falling backwards. Either way, falling wasn't an option.

"I'll go first," he offered.

She shook her head, "No, I want to go first."

Alex's brow rose. He wondered why she wanted to go first, but reluctantly nodded, as they didn't have time for any argument. He watched her eyes narrow and then stepped back a few feet.

She took a deep breath and then jetted forward at full speed, all of her focus on the jump. Alex's breath caught in his throat as her feet pushed her over the edge. His heart took a sickening drop when she was fully in the air, and then relaxed immediately as soon as she rolled onto the other roof, with a small cry of shock.

"Bad landing," She called, before he could ask, and rolled onto her arms and legs. "I'm fine."

Alex couldn't speak, he just nodded that he'd heard. His mouth was dry with fear and adrenaline-filled panic racing through his mind. That's when, below, they heard the door open.

"_You think they came out here?_"

Both of their eyes widened. Ethryn then slipped her shoes off, for maximum silence, and walked to the edge of the roof to help him if he lost his footing. It was the main reason she had wanted to go first, to see if she could make the jump. She'd done it well enough. Alex could do it if he focused (and with a better landing, hopefully).

"Go," she mouthed, fearfully.

"_I don't know. Think they went out to the street_?"

Alex took a lot more steps back, quicker then Ethryn had. He glanced up at her and she motioned for him to move, hurriedly, with complete confidence in her eyes. He swallowed, his fear evaporating into complete focus. Then he ran forward, the fastest he'd ever run. Before he knew it his feet were propelling over the edge, towards the other side.

His feet slammed down on the edge, making his body rattle but hardly a thump was heard. For a sickening second he felt himself leaning back when Ethryn grabbed the front of his shirt and forced him forward. They fell back onto the roof together.

"_Did you hear something_?"

They rolled. When they came to a stop, it was a rather uncomfortable position. Alex was straddling Ethryn, his hands on either side of her shoulders and both were panting as quietly as possible. She stared up at him, relief flooding through her that he was safe and hadn't plummeted to his death. She opened her mouth to speak. Before awkwardness could overcome them though, another shout followed.

"_Hey, there's a ladder! Maybe they went up it_!"

Alex's eyes widened and motioned for her to be silent by covering her mouth, then helping her sit up. The two then crawled behind large heating vents, making sure not to touch them. They were easily out of view, but they were still rather close to one another. It was hardly important though, as the ladder was heard, groaning in protest at the weight. Neither dared to risk a glance at how many they were, they just stifled their breath and tried not to move.

"I don't see anyone," A smack was heard. "You idiot, they're probably escaping onto the streets by now!"

"Well, I didn't think it would be that simple!" The abused remarked back, pouting. "No need to be smacking me, now!"

"I'll smack you when I want!"

Alex and Ethryn shared a look. And _these_ were the geniuses who were supposed to be tracking them?

"Let's just get back down, alright?" Someone else snapped. It was one of the female guards. "Go!"

They did. Ethryn was about to move when Alex gripped her arm, shaking his head. She was confused, but waited nonetheless. After what seemed like at least twenty minutes, an irritated sigh was heard. Ethryn's eyes widened in realization. The woman had stayed behind in case they _were_ on the roof! She could've revealed their hiding place.

They still waited longer, even after there were fading footsteps. It was at least, unbelievably, an hour before the two finally dubbed it safe to move around. Ethryn immediately was up, rolling her shoulders. Alex noticed this at once.

"You hurt you back?" He asked.

She flinched, shaking her head at once. "No, it just gets sore sometimes."

"We need to find a place to hide. There's no way to stay up here all night, we'll freeze to death." Alex said, realizing then that Ethryn didn't have a coat to protect herself. "Speaking of which, are you cold?"

Ethryn shook her head, "Not in the least. I'm used to cold weather." Vaguely, an image of snow falling around her face as a familiar elf stared down at her flashed in her mind but she shook it off. "But I do know where we can hide."

"What?" Alex's eyes widened. "Where?"

* * *

"You really know you way around town," Alex commented, as they continued to walk through what felt to him like a labyrinth of old, deserted buildings.

"You just have to get lost enough," she joked back. Neither of them knew what time it was, but it didn't matter. Ethryn knew that where they were going, there wasn't such a word as 'closed'.

Alex snorted, "Apparently."

Ethryn then stopped. "This is it."

He stopped to, crossing his arms and examining the building. Then he glanced at the building next to it. Alex had no idea how she could tell this building from any of the ones around it. As far as he could tell, there wasn't one.

Nonetheless, she walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. Six times.

After a short while, the door opened to reveal a small, decayed looking old woman. Alex walked up behind Ethryn, peeking over her shoulder curiously. The woman seemed dirty. His eyes narrowed. How could _she_ help _them_?

"Yes?" Then the woman coughed.

Ethryn smiled at her. "I'm looking for Lucy."

The woman eyed the two of them. "Lucy isn't here right now."

"Can we come in and wait for her?" Ethryn replied back.

The decrepit old woman then, reluctantly, nodded, and stepped aside to let them in. Alex wasn't really sure if he wanted to go in the building, but he was going to trust that Ethryn knew what she was doing. The room was pitch black as soon as she shut the door.

When the lights flicked on, Alex was stunned.

It was as nice as the average hotel. Nothing special, otherwise someone would eventually dig deep enough to notice construction on the _inside_ of a run-down building instead of the outside. It was extremely suspicious to anyone looking for something out of place.

"Whoa," Alex breathed.

Ethryn smiled at him. "Looks can be deceiving."

"Apparently so," he then turned to her. "Whose Lucy?"

"Original owner," Ethryn replied, shrugging it off like it was nothing.

Alex nodded and then saw the woman taking off the grimy coat and sitting on one of the chairs. At the counter was a well-dressed and smart looking man. He wore sunglasses and eyed the two of them.

"Not often we get teenagers in here," He said, stoically. His lenses were almost mirrored. The man's face may have been angled towards them, but there was no way to know for sure where he was looking. "Name and room?"

"Room 27," Ethryn replied. "Under Fowl."

The man's hands stroked the keyboard and his head angled up towards where the two were. He then hit a button on the desk and from the computer, where a disk would normally pop out, a key came. The man handed it to her without another word.

"This way," she told Alex, motioning for him to follow. Reluctantly, he did, casting glances over his shoulder as they headed towards lit stairs. He looked behind himself one last time and noticed the lights downstairs turn off, waiting for another visitor.

"So, Artemis?" Alex questioned.

Ethryn smiled back at him. "Yeah. Always prepared for the worst, him and Butler."

"Good thing," He replied with a smile. "We'd be in a lot of trouble otherwise."

"I'm sure we could've found a way," she said optimistically. They reached a hallway and took a left. Alex looked at the room numbers, his brow rising at the random order they were in. "These numbers aren't listed correctly."

"It's so if someone breaks in," Ethryn stopped in front of a door that read '72' instead of '27'. "They're hopelessly lost. None of this makes sense except for your card alone, so everyone here is safe. There's no phones, though."

She slid the key into the lock and turned, the wrong way. It worked, and the door was pushed open. Alex rubbed his head. He now knew what if felt like to be Alice while she was wandering around in Wonderland.

"There's clothes for us to change in," she began, shutting the door and heading towards a dresser. "Now Artemis is a little taller then you, but thinner. Nonetheless, his clothes should fit you just fine. Unlike most of his ensembles, these aren't tailored to his size. They're street clothes." She seemed to have found what she wanted and came out with a neatly folded pile of clothes. Then she pointed to one of two doors they hadn't come into. "There's two bathrooms. Go change in that one."

He nodded, rifling through the clothes. A pair of sweats, a gray t-shirt, and a black sweatshirt. Ethryn was right, they did look to be about his size, or at least something close. He shut the door behind him and heard her through the door, going through the other dresser probably. Alex stripped himself of his clothes and felt relieved to be in more comfortable clothes. Everything fit fine. He scowled. It was the only lucky thing that he'd stumbled across all night.

Alex came out and saw the room was empty. "Ethryn?"

"In here," she called, from the other bathroom. "Be out in a second!"

He noticed a small TV in the corner. "Hey, can we watch the television in here?"

"Sure, go ahead." She called back.

He heard a zipper from the other side of the door and smiled to himself, although he wasn't quite sure why. He turned on the television. Of course there was a commercial on. There wasn't a guide anywhere in sight so he sat himself down on the couch, waiting until the program turned on so he could see what he was watching.

The door opened and he glanced over his shoulder. Ethryn looked much more relaxed. She dawned much slimmer sweats, and a white t-shirt. The makeup had been washed off and the outfit, including the shoes, were folded neatly in her hands. Alex watched her put them into the dresser before she turned to him.

"Where are your old clothes?" She asked him.

Alex stood, "In the bathroom, I'll go get them."

"No, I'll do it," She replied plainly, and went into the bathroom he'd used. Alex, feeling a bit strange, sat back down on the couch. Then the program turned back on.

"_You're watching the only channel that_," the man on television reminded and informed the viewers. "_Plays your favorite music all day long_!"

"What are you watching?" Ethryn said, coming back into the room and putting Alex's clothes into the closet.

He leaned closer to the screen, searching for an insignia. "I'm not sure."

Ethryn sat down next to him, both staring at the screen. Alex was curious, but Ethryn was fascinated. Artemis was forever complaining at whatever pop-star happened to be on a billboard, insisting that a majority of them were brainless singing machines. The majority of them had terrible voices, in fact, and they were just edited to sound the way they did. Ethryn had never heard music outside of the occasional CD Artemis showed her.

The voice faded out and on the screen popped up a frightening, hooded figure. Its eyes glowed green.

Ethryn flinched away from it, "What kind of video is this?"

"I'm not sure," He admitted.

The image then went to teenagers with flashlights, looking around. Soon following came a cabin, with the light bulbs flickering. Both of them shared a glance at the other, wondering what the hell was playing. A joyful piano tune started playing as the screen zoomed in on the rickety door and the flickering light bulbs got a close up. Then fingers appeared, playing a dirty piano.

"_J-j-j-j R._"

"What the-?" Ethryn's brow rose and then light filled the screen. Then teenagers in white t-shirts were jumping up and down in the cabin, one with a microphone who was singing. This just confused the two all the more, but Ethryn smiled in amusement.

_"Whoa oh oh oh oh  
Whoa oh oh oh oh  
I kinda feel like it don't make .._  
_like-like-like it don't make_  
_feel like it don't make s-s-s-sense..."_

The screen kept flickering between the people in the woods, with the flashlights and the ones partying in the cabin. Alex heard Ethryn start to laugh at the strangeness of it all.

"This reminds me of Scooby-Doo," He commented, with a smirk.

Ethryn turned to him, curious. "What's Scooby-Doo?" When Alex stared at her, she said, "What?"

"_I'm thinking, baby, you and I are undeniable_  
_But I'm finding now loves unreliable_  
_I'm giving all I got to make you stay_  
_Or am I just a roadblock in your way?_"

Ethryn laughed again. It was so infectious Alex felt himself laughing too.

"What's so funny?" Alex asked.

"Who comes up with something like this for a love song?" She asked, looking up at him with a wide grin.

Alex shrugged, mirroring her happy emotions. "Apparently, a genius, because they're making _you_ laugh."

She blushed, embarrassed. Then she changed the subject. "It's a very catchy tune. Do people often listen to these kinds of things?"

Alex stared at her. "You've never listened to music?"

"Only the things Artemis gives me. And he's very much against pop," She said, with a smirk at the memory.

He crossed his arms, examining her.

"_Cause you're a pretty little windstorm out on the boulevard_  
_Something like a Sunset, oh you're a shooting star_  
_And I might drive myself insane_  
_If those lips aren't speakin my name!"_

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded again, staring up at him in curiosity.

Alex just smiled, holding out his hand to her.

Ethryn looked at him, then at his hand in confusion. "What?"

His smile grew into a smirk. "Well _someone's_ got to teach you how to dance."

"_Cause I got some intuition,_  
_or maybe Im superstitious_  
_But I think you're a pretty sweet pill_  
_that Im swallowing down_  
_To counter this addiction_  
_you've got me on a mission_  
_Tell me darling, can I get a break somehow?_

With a wary smile, she took his hand and stood. The music video was ignored, the song the only thing Alex was focusing on. He could tell by the beat the chorus was going to start up soon. Normally, Alex wasn't one to dance to pop songs, but this was an exception. The two of them needed something to lighten the mood after hiding and running for the past few hours. And who knew how long they'd been imprisoned.

"_Could I say no?_"

Alex placed her hands on his shoulders and then took one of her hands, the other placing itself just about her hip. He smiled at the innocent wonder on her face. It wasn't every someone had no idea how to dance to a pop-song with a partner. Or that you found a teenager oblivious to any music besides Mozart.

"_Shes got a love like woe_  
_(whoaa oh oh oh)_  
_Girls got a love like woe_  
_(whoaa oh oh oh)_"

Alex was laughing at Ethryn, in a good way. She was obviously having trouble figuring out what he was trying to do and stared confusedly at her feet as she tried to match his rhythm.

"Here, try this," He offered, spinning her out slowly. "Okay, then back in."

She did this gracefully enough. "That was much easier."

Alex laughed, "Try this one."

He lifted his arm up.

"_I kinda feel like it dont make sense_  
_Because you're bringing me in_  
_and now you're kicking me out again_  
_Loved so strong, then you moved on_  
_Now I'm hung up in suspense,_  
_Because you're bringing me in_  
_And then you're kicking me out again!_"

"Go under," he explained to her, biting his lip to keep from chuckling at her dancing, if you could call it that. But he gave her credit, because only she, it seemed, could make stumbling and screwing up look graceful and intentional. She went under his arm, spinning once again and smiling at the feeling of spinning.

"This is fun!" She laughed.

Alex just watched her eyes sparkle, not sure why this was so amazing to her.

"_Its like a hurricane, speed train, shes a moving car_  
_Catch her in the fast lane, oh I gotta know,_  
_Can I keep up with her pace?_  
_Kick it into gear when I see that face_."

"Okay, now let's try this again." Alex said, "Step back, to the side, forward, and to the other side."

"Oh, I get it now," Ethryn said, watching their feet.

Alex continued speaking, "And while you do this you turn your feet so you make a circle. Get it?"

"_You can take up all my time cause you're the only one_  
_That can make a storm cloud break_  
_Pulling out the sun._"

Ethryn nodded, "I think so."

"_And I cant get caught in the rain_  
_Can I get your lips to speak my name?_"

"Why does he find it so important that she say his name?" Ethryn asked, with a small frown.

Alex shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe he finds it attractive when someone says his name."

"Well that must terribly confusing," she replied. "What if he has a common name? Then if someone said it-!"

"Its only attractive if the person he loves says it, I think, Ethryn." Alex replied. "Do you always read into music this much?"

"They've never had words before."

"_Cause I got some intuition,_  
_or maybe I'm superstitious_  
_But I think you're a pretty sweet pill_  
_that I'm swallowing down_  
_To counter this addiction_  
_you've got me on a mission_  
_Tell me darling, can I get a break somehow?_  
_Could I say no?_

_Shes got a love like woe_  
_(whoaa oh oh oh)_  
_Girls got a love like woe_  
_(whoaa oh oh oh)_  
_I kinda feel like it dont make sense_  
_Because you're bringing me in_  
_and now you're kicking me out again_  
_Loved so strong, then you moved on_  
_Now I'm hung up in suspense,_  
_Because you're bringing me in_  
_And then you're kicking me out again . . ."_

_

* * *

_

Yes, this is how they escaped. And I REALLY wanted to cut out that ending scene there, with the music, but I promised a friend that I'd put her goddamn favorite song in there, so yeah. It's cute enough, I guess.

The song is "Love Like Woe" by The Ready Set. Its not mine, I didn't write it, etc.

**AND SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE RIGHT HERE (RESPONSE TO COMMENT #1)!**

**A Few Responses to Comments:  
**

Kurozaki  
Lol, awesome chapter. I didn't think she'd have wings, that was kinda surprising.

**I don't mean to single you out, so sorry. This is just a reminder for future readers (and you too) to please read the first story. Not to mention I DID SAY Ethryn was an Angel. Hence, the wings. In the first story, she has wings too, but apparently you haven't read that like I asked so I wouldn't have to make a bunch of explanations and insult others without meaning too. Its just natural. :D  
**

KayDee-DesignerExtraordinare  
Now for my "comment." Only one mistake. In the line about getting tailored and stuff, you put, "I'll have you and Artemis cleaned up for the ensemble." Shouldn't that have been Alex? Bye!

**I appreciated that! The mistake has been fixed.**

-Sigh- You know what makes me sad? When I keep having to repeat myself both in the actual story itself, and the authors notes that I have at the beginning and end of almost every chapter I write. And yet still, some people don't listen to me! :(

And anyways hope you enjoyed the story.


	7. Better Than You Do

And now onto a twist you probably thought would take a while longer!

* * *

**Chapter 7  
"Better Than You Do"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Artemis was scowling at the headlines. It would seem that once again the kidnappers had been one step ahead of him.

And yet, it also seemed Ethryn and Alex were one step ahead of the kidnappers.

The newspaper told about a disaster with the lights, startling everyone like horses and causing panic as each blew up. Apparently most were under the impression there was some type of gunfire because of the popping sounds, but no shell casings were found on the scene. The kitchen staff had also apparently complained that during the urgency to get out of the building, "two teenagers ran into the kitchen and jumped out the window followed by another man. But when he couldn't get out, he went around back". Artemis smirked at the notion. One didn't have to be a genius to find out who the two teenagers were. Trouble seemed to follow Ethryn and Alex wherever they went.

That was when an e-mail popped up on his computer.

Immediately he turned, expecting some message from his mother. His family was off in Hawaii now, and he was home 'with Ethryn'. Artemis had never been one for going to the beach or any form of heat. He was perfectly at ease in missing this trip. But the e-mail was not from his mother. Nor was it from anyone he expected to be receiving anything from.

It was a notification that 'his room' was currently in use. That if he wasn't currently inhabiting the room that it was recommended they be notified immediately so the intruders could be 'dealt with'.

So Artemis now knew where Ethryn and Alex were.

He'd never moved so fast before. Artemis shot up in his chair at once, hurrying down the hallway and shouting for Butler and Holly. Immediately the two were heading down the hallway where he'd just been. But now the impatient genius who wasn't going to take any chances was downstairs, making his way through his house towards the garage where the cars were parked. Holly and Butler were somewhat alarmed that he was moving around and still shouting at them. Was he alright?

"Artemis!" Holly finally shouted. "Where are you?"

"Waiting for you by the garage," His slightly winded voice replied back. "I know where Ethryn and Alex are and I don't want to take any chances waiting until they're found once again and forced to leave the premises."

This, for obvious reasons, helped Butler and Holly pick up their speed considerably.

* * *

**Ireland, Secret Hotel**

"Put these on," Ethryn told Alex, tossing him jeans and a black t-shirt. The jeans were stretchy, allowing him movement if they needed to run. Ethryn pulled out basically the same thing for herself and a track sweatshirt that was reverseable. It was either black with white stripes up the arms or white with back stripes up the arms. She tossed Alex a red track sweatshirt with large black stripes on the chest, arms, and sides.

"We're leaving now, then?" Alex said, heading towards the bathroom.

Ethryn nodded, "I don't think we should risk staying here for too long. If she gets wind of us being here somehow, we're screwed."

"Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?" Alex insisted. "She's smart, but not that smart."

"You never know," Ethryn muttered, hurrying towards her bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

Alex glared after her suspiciously. He still hadn't asked Ethryn what she'd done to that old woman. Why not now if he was going to ask? Alex walked into the other bathroom and changed quickly. They both came out at the same time, Alex taking the clothes, folding them, and putting them into the dresser like Ethryn did.

"Hey, Ethryn," he said, cutting into the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

She seemed surprised and stopped, looking up at him with wide and curious eyes. "Of course. Is something wrong?"

Alex shook his head, watching her expression carefully. Undoubtedly it would change after he asked. "No, not at all. Actually, I was just wondering . . . what is it you did to that old woman? You said you'd tell me. Now is about a good a time as any."

Her expression did change. Her curious gaze turned into one of shock as she stared. Suddenly all her focus was on refolding the clothes as slowly and as neatly as possible. It was suspicious to say the least. Alex's eyes narrowed. What was she hiding from him?

"I-I . . ." Ethryn tried to start and then squeezed her eyes shut at something.

Alex, surprised at the sudden pain she seemed to be in, reached a hand out and touched her arm with concern. Ethryn's eyes darted towards his face immediately as she continued to stare.

"Hey, Ethryn," He began sympathetically. "It's alright. I mean, I know we haven't known each other very long, but, we probably know a lot more about each other then other people do. That's just what happens when people are partners in something like this. Whatever it is Ethryn, you can tell me."

Ethryn still hesitated. "I can't really tell you . . . I'd have to show you."

Alex nodded his understanding.

She closed her eyes and continued. "Alex . . . you have to promise your opinion won't change about me. Okay?"

"I promise," He insisted, letting go of her and crossing his heart with a finger. "Seriously. Now what's up?"

Ethryn turned away from him and removed her jacket, tossing it onto the bed. Alex's brow rose, but he didn't say anything. Now, unbeknown to him, Ethryn's back was actually quite sore from holding it in so long. It wasn't so much that she wanted to tell him as it was she needed to let her wings out. Pain did strange things to a mind.

Thankfully the material of her shirt was Angel thread. The LEP had figured out how to make it some time ago, and most of her outfits were made out of the material that would allow her clothes not to rip. She closed her eyes and before she could contain herself, her wings burst out from her back.

Alex would've choked if anything had been in his mouth. Wings. That was the solitary thought in his mind as he stared at the pure white feathery object on Ethryn's back. If it was possible, they seemed to be begging to let him touch them. They looked so _soft_.

Ethryn jumped a little in surprise as soon as she felt his hand brush through her wings. She looked over her shoulder to see him staring at them in some sort of stupor, gently and slowly touching the feathers. Alex looked up suddenly at her face in awe and she turned to face him, her wings wrapping around her, protecting her form what she thought would soon be yelling from him. What if he didn't trust her anymore because of this? Did it change anything?

"You're . . ." Alex breathed, apparently unable to form sentences.

She looked down in shame. "I'm not a monster . . ."

At his sudden gasp she looked up. Alex was staring at her still, but in a new way. "I never said you were a monster!"

Her brows rose. "But-."

Alex moved towards her once again, shaking her head. "Ethryn this is . . . surprising at the very least but . . . wow, wings? Where are you from, exactly? Wait, does Artemis know about this?"

She nodded, "Yes, he knows. I'm not the only mythical creature that exists on this planet. And I'm not from this world, I'm from an entirely different dimension."

"How'd you get here then?" Alex asked, sitting down. He really had no idea why he was taking this so well. Why he wasn't in shock was a mystery to even himself.

Ethryn ran her hand through her own wings, marveling at their softness as well. "I was chased out. I didn't have a choice but to hide. Artemis and Holly, whose an elf, saved me from the person chasing me. After that I decided to stay and well, here we are now."

"And Opal?" Alex asked, running both hands through his hair as he focused on the floor in front of him. "Anything up with her? What's she, a pixie?"

Ethryn didn't say anything.

Alex groaned. "Oh man, leave it me to get mixed up in this."

She looked down at her hands shamefully, "I'm sorry."

He sighed and stood, shaking his heads after a short while. "Hey, you can't pick who you are. But, at least we know each other now, right?"

"On the contrary," Ethryn replied, eyes scrunching in confusion. "I don't know anything about you."

Alex's eyes widened as he realized the truth of this. Then he laughed. "You're right." He smiled and held his hand out. "Alex Rider. First and only teenage spy, as far as I know. I work for M16 and have saved the world on multiple occasions from various types of poisoning, mass takeover, and just all around bad stuff."

Ethryn took his hand and smiled back. "Ethryn Fowl. Adopted by the Fowl family a short while ago, and Angel in disguise."

Alex nodded his head. "It's nice to meet you, Ethryn."

"You too, Alex." She pulled her hand away after a moment with a shy smile. Her wings were instantly sucked back into her back and she took a deep breath, guessing they probably weren't going to come out again for a while. "We should probably get going. You ready?"

Alex sighed. "About as ready as I'm going to be."

"Good. Then let's get out of here."

* * *

**Ireland, Streets**

"I don't see them anywhere," Holly said, peering out the window.

Artemis scoffed at the notion. "This is Alex Rider and Ethryn, Holly. Do you really think they're going to make themselves seen to the immediate streets?"

"What do you expect us to do then, Artemis?" Butler asked, glancing at him through the mirror. "Get out and look."

"Not at all," Artemis replied. "I expect _Holly_ to get out and look from above and us to go to the Hotel and wait for them to come out if they haven't already."

Holly glared at him, "You could have just said that before!"

Immediately after she shimmered out of the room and the window was rolled down. After about a minute, Artemis rolled it back up.

"Trying to keep to habit then, Artemis?" Butler said expectantly. "There's no need to be rude to Holly. She's just as worried as you are."

Artemis rubbed his temples in frustration. "I don't do very well under stress, Butler. I'll apologize to her once Alex and Ethryn are in our-."

The car slowed to a halt, stopping Artemis's words. His brow rose as Butler motioned for him to stay in the car as he got out, carefully and silently. Artemis would have asked questions had he not known better.

Although the sound of his voice might have saved a lot of trouble.

Immediately upon peering past the tinted window, Artemis saw two figures lithely dart through the alleyways. Obviously, since he had seen it, Butler had seen it. Immediately the hefty bodyguard was racing after them.

* * *

Alex noticed the monstrous shape racing towards them. He motioned for Ethryn to run, and they began to bolt at once again fantastic speeds. If Ethryn had been worried about not being active enough, these past two days would surely be enough of an exercise for a while.

The figure pursued, and Ethryn didn't look back. She didn't really want to know who was chasing them now, and she didn't want to know how Opal had found them so quickly upon leaving their sanctuary. All she focused on was Alex, gripping her wrist tightly and leading her onwards. Alex's eyes kept darting backwards, biting his lip and narrowing his eyes as if remembering something, or at least trying to.

It was then they came to a dead end. They were well ahead of their pursuer, but not for long now that they were cornered. Alex searched desperately for another ladder. But it seemed their luck had finally run out, and there was nothing to get them away.

"Ethryn," Alex turned to her. "Go!"

Her brows furrowed in misunderstanding. "What do you mean?"

"You're an Angel," He said quickly. "Can't you just fly out of here?"

Ethryn's eyes widened and she gripped his wrist. "I'm not leaving you, Alex!"

The sound of their chaser was heard, approaching. Hissing in irritation, making a last minute decision, Alex grabbed Ethryn and pulled her hood over her head tightly before shoving his own hood over his face. He then forced her behind him as he stood in front of her in a protective stance. It was Alex's natural instinct to protect women, and especially the ones he cared about. From their short but meaningful time together, Alex now knew he had to protect her no matter what.

Mythical being or not, she was his friend. Nothing was going to happen to her.

"Stay behind me, Ethryn." Alex muttered. "And keep your hood over as much as your face as you can."

Ethryn's gently hand touched his forearm. Nervously she murmured, "Alex-."

And then their pursuer was around the corner. One hulking mass with a gun pointed at both of them. Ethryn, at first, was being forced to hide behind Alex as he tried to keep her away from the danger. But seeing the giant figure, she became curious and peeked over his shoulder.

"Don't-," The man began dangerously.

But Ethryn's eyes lit up at once, recognizing the figure immediately. "Butler!"

Both males were surprised as she darted past Alex, throwing her arms around the manservant affectionately, as one might to another they haven't seen in a long time. As she ran her hood fell off, revealing her silky raven-colored locks and perfect features. Alex sighed in relief. He'd gone up against large men before, but the first impression of the shadowed figure had been a very hopeless one. He knew he'd felt something familiar about him. Alex found himself in disbelief as he tried to figure out how he could forget such a man.

"Ethryn, there you are," Butler said, also apparently relieved, but still on edge. He motioned for Alex with a meaty hand. "Come along, both of you. Before we're seen. Alex is waiting in the car."

Ethryn released Butler at once and skipped back to Alex's side, holding her hand out for him. Hesitantly, he gave it to her. A single brow on Butler's face rose, but otherwise he had no reaction as she tugged him gently forward. Her nerves were shot. For the time being, Alex had became the one she depended on when it came to uncomfortable situations.

What if there was still someone out there besides Artemis?

But yet the walk back was uneventful. The black, tinted-windowed car was sitting on the sidewalk, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Butler shielded them with his body from anyone who might happen to be on the street (thought it was deserted) and opened the back doors, letting them inside before doing his routine check on the limousine and continuously glancing around auspiciously.

The moment the door shut, Artemis smiled at Ethryn. A genuine smile. Alex recognized it as the one like in the picture Artemis had shown him. It was almost astonishing to see it fit so naturally on someone who had seen so distant and cold.

"You're okay, then?" He said, on the opposite side of both of them and making no move to approach them.

But Ethryn beamed and lunged towards him, enclosing him in a tight hug. Artemis seemed so startled Alex had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the boy probably only a year or two older then him. Then Artemis's face softened and he patted her gently on the back.

"Artemis!" Ethryn said, pulling away from him. "I've never been so happy to see Butler with a gun."

Alex couldn't hold it back then and began to laugh, folding over with his face into his knees. Ethryn's giggle joined his own and he felt a movement next to him and looked up to see her smiling down at him, covering her mouth with a delicate hand as she snickered. She then looked back to Artemis, shyly.

"Artemis," She started, then looked down into her lap sadly. "Alex . . . knows about Angels."

Alex's eyes widened and his eyes darted to Artemis's face. The smile was gone, and his fingers drummed against the leather, seeming to consider this as he looked at the shameful Ethryn. As if it wasn't bad enough to see Ethryn look so pitiful, Artemis's eyes then went to Alex. It felt like he was just considering on how to deal with him, and it was a look Alex sort of knew. Similar looks had been given to him when people wondered what the best way of killing him would be.

Now he wasn't so sure if the situation was so different.

"Artemis," Ethryn's voice was suddenly pleading. "Please don't. He's saved my life and got me away from Opal this whole time."

Alex didn't quite know what to say. What did she mean 'please don't'? Don't do what? He looked back and forth between Ethryn and Alex, the expressions completely contrasting from one another. She began wringing her wrists out of nervousness.

Then Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and rolling down the window with the other. "We'll have to talk to Holly about it. In consideration of the secrets he's already kept, I have full confidence he could keep this secret. But, Ethryn, you have to understand, it isn't my decision."

Alex felt uncomfortable in the silence that followed. The only noise was that of Artemis rolling the window back up.

Then Artemis said, "Holly, Ethryn told him about us. You can remove the shield now."

And Alex jumped when a petite figure appeared next to Artemis on the chair. He didn't take this quite as well as he took Ethryn's news, and couldn't help but stare. The only way he knew for sure she was a girl was the curves, which he ignored at once out of respect. Then she removed her helmet, shaking red and obviously well-cared-for hair out with a sigh. She looked up with a sad smile towards Ethryn on her face.

"Aw, kiddo," the petite woman sighed. "What did you do now?"

Ethryn gripped Alex's arm protectively, "I trust him, Holly. Just like I trust you and Artemis. You've all saved me on multiple occasions. In the past few days, he's done it quite a lot actually."

Holly made a face, but nodded. Then she held a small hand out to Alex. "Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Captain Holly Short, but you can just call me Holly, of course."

Alex shook her hand after receiving an encouraging nod from Ethryn. Then he smiled, "Nice to meet you too, Holly. Whatever the circumstances may be now."

"Yes," Artemis said, folding his hands carefully on his lap. "About that. My greatest apologies, Alex, but for your own safety you're going to have to stay with myself and possibly the rest of my family, along with Ethryn at my home. Anywhere else in the world is dangerous for you right now."

Alex didn't seem to really be concerned about that. In fact, he seemed to have almost expected this. Artemis was mildly surprised by this, but refused to let it show on his face. He assumed that Alex was used to changes in plans that hadn't gone right.

That didn't mean he was entirely senseless. "That's fine. But I'll have to make a call."

Artemis smirked. "Ah, yes. Your guardian."

But without any further words he reached into his pocket and handed Alex his cell-phone, which he took gladly. After dialing a few numbers he placed the phone to his ear. Butler finished his security sweep of the car and got in, starting the engine.

Just then Jack Starbright answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Jack?" Alex said, relief filling his body at a familiar voice. Every once in a while he needed that reassurance that some part of his life was normal. With the additional existence of magical creatures coming into play, he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

Immediately the reply was, "Alex! Are you okay? Where are you? How are you calling me? Did you-!"

"Jack, _breath_," Alex insisted, with a snort. Ethryn giggled beside him and Artemis cracked a small smile. "I'm fine. In a limo. With a cell phone. And, if I can guess correctly, I did escape with the help of a friend." His eyes wandered to where Ethryn sat and she beamed. "But, it might be some time before I'm able to come home."

"You said no more missions, Alex," Jack insisted. "You promised."

"It's not on a mission," He argued. "I'm the target."

Artemis made a cutting gesture of his neck, which Alex knew meant to not say too much. Even though Artemis severely trusted all of his equipment he knew that not everyone was ready to know the truth about their world. That they were actually a far second in their evolutionary race in both technology and the ability to adapt.

"You're **_what_**! Alex, you tell me what's going on this instant!" Jack shouted, obviously panicked on the other end of the phone.

Alex flinched at the shriek of fear at his well-being. But he looked down at his lap, the hand without the phone on the back of his neck. "I can't, Jack. I'm really sorry, but everything will be fine, and then everything can go back to normal again, okay?"

"Alex-!"

"Bye, Jack. Love you. See you soon" And he hung up on her, knowing he'd never get off the phone otherwise. Then he sighed, both hands dropped into his lap, his shoulders hunching, and his head hanging down in despair.

Ethryn looked on sympathetically, touching his arm, "Are you okay, Alex?"

Alex, after a moment, seemed to have shaken it off and nodded, handing Artemis back the phone with a somber expression, "Thanks."

"Of course," Artemis replied with a wary and suspicious expression on his face.

Not once had Artemis ever really approved of how affectionate and trusting Ethryn was with most people she met. Obviously, it had gotten her into trouble on numerous occasions, her compassion being one of the reasons she'd been hounded into a whole other dimension. But with Alex something was different. She'd embraced fully the role of cousin, treating Artemis like he was her dearest and closest brother. But with Alex, she acted just as adoringly, but in a_ different_ sort of way. A way the Fairy people probably wouldn't approve of.

And he wasn't sure he exactly approved either.

* * *

UGH! THIS TOOK TOO LONG!

So, now that Alex knows about Fairies, and the shock hasn't quite settled in yet, what can he expect in the future? And what about Artemis's growing suspicion and irritation of his littler-sister figure getting a bit too comfortable with Alex? NO, for you idiots who might think as much, he is NOT jealous. They're love is strictly sibling. And as a sibling, big brother has got to be protective. But with big brother being a once evil but still ingenious teenager, what has Alex got in store for him there?

Oh the joys of mysteries! :D

Till next time.


	8. Home Free Is Bull

Yay for continuation!

Enjoy. By the way, I love the title.

* * *

**Chapter 8  
"Home Free Is Bull"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Not everyone arrived at the manor conscious. It was a few hours ride back to the manor and despite all the questions Artemis, Holly, and Butler wanted to ask, none of them said a word as Alex's eyelids visibly drooped within the first twenty minutes of the ride.

"Tired, Alex?" Holly asked. Artemis hadn't said a word since his cell-phone had been handed back to him. Instead Holly had seen his eyes glance at Ethryn and Alex, like they were suspects, before looking out the window in careful consideration. She had a feeling his thought process was something he needed to be left alone with and no one had made any move to pull him out of it.

Alex attempted to stifle a yawn that made its way out anyways. Ethryn giggled, covering her mouth shyly with her hand. When Alex shot her a look she simply looked on at him innocently until he smirked at turned back to Holly with a nod. "Just a little. I didn't get much heavy sleep last night."

"You're welcome to sleep on the way," She insisted, with a warm smile that was far more reassuring that any Alex could imagine on Artemis. Even if Alex was struggling to come to terms with anything even of Holly's existence, he still felt far more comfortable around her then the disconnected genius next to her. "We've still got a few hours. You can at least get a nap in so you'll have the energy to clean up when we get there."

He smiled appreciatively at her before nodding, "Thanks, Holly."

"Sure."

Alex scooted to the corner of the seat, propping his head against the curve and settling himself down comfortable. As Ethryn watched him do so she too began to blink blearily. Alex's slow breathing that came with his unconsciousness began to lull her into a calm. Eventually she lay herself down on the chair, making a pillow of her crossed arms, and falling to sleep with a serene happiness on her face. Holly looked between the two unconscious teens and smiled softly at the oddly peaceful scene.

They remained like that until the car pulled up in front of the manor uneventfully. When Butler opened the door, Artemis was attempting to wake Ethryn while Holly tried to wake up Alex as nicely as possible, without startling them. Alex was up much quicker then Ethryn. Actually, Ethryn simply moved her head, her long hair draping like a veil over her face. Holly suppressed laughter at the sight. It was like even in her sleep she knew how to avoid waking up.

Artemis sighed and shook his head, looking up at his manservant. "Butler?"

Getting the hint, Butler gently scooped Ethryn up in his arms. Immediately her head leaned against the new warmth and she made a quiet murmuring noise as she subconsciously readjusted herself. Artemis, Holly, and Alex then left the car uneventfully, Butler carrying Ethryn into the house. She was quickly given her old room, close to Artemis's and Holly's (guest) room. Alex was also given a guest room in the same hallway as the rest of them.

He did not waist time trying to clean himself up. Alex knew he could do that later. Instead, he made quick haste to the bed after thanking Artemis as warmly as he could being only half-awake and then darted into the room, throwing his sweatshirt and shoes off before being out cold once more.

Holly laughed as Alex's door shut behind him. "I like him. He's nice."

Artemis scowled, saying nothing but, "Yes, he's seems well-bred."

Before Holly could ask about his attitude, Artemis turned and went into his own room, probably for some sort of study. Butler and the LEP officer shared a confused look before Butler just shook his head, deciding to just let it play out. Artemis normally got over any of his emotions rather quickly. The stress must still have been eating at him, they guessed.

"They must be beat," Holly noted, as they walked downstairs. "I've never seen Ethryn want sleep so badly."

Butler nodded his agreement, "I'm sure they'll be better by the time morning comes."

* * *

As it turned out, morning did bring consciousness to Alex and Ethryn.

Unfortunately, their sleep patterns, thanks to being without a clock for about a week or so (had it really been that long?), had been entirely thrown off. When Alex awoke with full energy he glanced at the clock next to his bed and groaned, putting his hand over his eyes.

3:47a.m.

Even if Artemis awoke early, like around 7:00a.m., that was still around three hours away. What was he going to do to keep himself occupied until then? Realizing he was probably going to be staying in the manor for some time, he decided to have a look around.

Right as he got up though, he noticed something a tad more interesting.

A computer sat neatly on the desk in his room. With a frown, he realized her hadn't checked his e-mails in a while. If he didn't soon, other people might start getting suspicious. Alex knew he could only get sick so many times, and so he walked back to computer and signed in.

There were three e-mails. One from an ad wanting to know if he was interested in buying a car, one from Jack (that he carefully avoided) and, surprisingly, one from Sabina. His eyes widening, he clicked on that one, feeling oddly nervous. The subject was '**_Hey, Alex . . ._**'

'**_Alex,_**

**_I don't really know how to say this, but, I guess straight-forward  
is the best way to go, huh? I met someone else while over in  
America. I'm really sorry, Alex. I know we may not have been an  
actual thing yet and I might just be making an ass out of myself  
by saying this, but, I still feel like I should tell you. I would've told  
you over the phone, but, Jack said something about another M16  
thing going on? I thought you stopped with them, Alex! That's also  
partially why I started dating, Alex. I have a feeling your life will  
never really be rid of those guys. One adventure was more then  
enough for me.  
_**

**_I'm Really Sorry,  
Sabina_**'

Alex started for a long while at the screen in disbelief. Sabina had started . . . _dating_? Somehow, it didn't surprise him. She'd been acting really strange lately. Even in his birthday video she seemed uncomfortable. Alex had thought she was just thinking of how weird it was to make a video rather then send a card. Of course, he did have a crush on Sabina, but they were on entirely different continents. It was kind of something that Alex had expected. With a disheartened sigh, he clicked the "Reply" button.

'_**Sab,**_

_**You met another guy? I'm happy for you! Really, I am. I guess it  
was kind of bound to happen though, huh? Don't worry about me  
being upset or anything, I totally get it. To be honest, I think I've  
caught someone else's eye too. But, we still can be friends though,  
right? Like you said, we weren't really a thing, so we get to avoid  
the awkward! And that whole M16 thing ****is**** done, this is all just one  
BIG misunderstanding (I hope)!  
**_

_**Friend Always,  
Alex**_'_**  
**_

Re-reading his e-mail, Alex debated on who that other person who'd caught his eye was. He didn't want to lie to Sabina but lately his feelings for her were off. Maybe he'd kind of just known that it wouldn't have worked. None of the girls at school interested him. He was good friends with all of them, and some showed interest, but he just never thought of any of them like that, reserving himself for Sabina. But now that neither were really interested in the other anymore, who was left to really care about?

There was a knock on the door.

"_Pst, Alex! Are you up_!"

Alex could've laughed at the childish nature of how the person on the other side of the door was talking. He immediately hid the e-mail, minimizing the internet. Then he turned to the door and replied, "Come in!"

Ethryn entered his room halfway, with an entirely bored expression on her face. She spoke in a stage-whisper. "At least somebody's up! I've been wondering around this house for an hour with anyone so much as stirring! People are so _lazy_!"

His brow rose with a smirk, "Ethryn, do you have any idea what time it is?"

She opened her mouth and then seemed to think long and hard. Then she shook her head, "No, why?"

"Its almost 4 in the morning!" He replied, with a laugh. "_We_ shouldn't even be up!"

"Then why are we up?" She demanded. "And not tired in the least."

"My guess was being trapped in a windowless room with no perception of time messed up our sleep," Alex guessed, leaning back in the chair. "No one else is probably going to get up for another few hours, minimum."

"Artemis wakes up at around six," Ethryn said. "And Butler is _always_ up by the time you get to his room, but he'd just tell me to try to go back to sleep. And since I can't, the trip there would be entirely pointless."

"But, it would've wasted time," Alex pointed out.

Ethryn huffed.

"What time does Holly wake up?"

"I don't know, actually. Whenever, I guess." Then she seemed to notice he was on the computer. "What are you doing online so early?" A smirk appeared on her face. "You're not doing anything inappropriate, are you, Alex? Because Artemis debugs and reads the history of all of these once a week-."

"_No_," Alex said at once, rolling his eyes teasingly at her joke. What made him curious about the comment, though, was that Artemis was so paranoid about his technology. Alex had noticed a few custom things in the limo and now he wasn't so sure if it was just a rich people thing or an Artemis thing. But he decided that thought process was for another time. "I was just checking my e-mails."

"Oh, I should probably do that too," Then she groaned. "I've been doing nothing for an hour when I could've been doing something _productive_."

"It's probably all just fan-mail," Alex joked.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Wanna help me with it then? Three days of piled up fan-mail." She shivered with a grimace.

"Do you answer _all_ of them?" He asked, surprised.

Ethryn shook her head, "No, just a few. Plus, I forward any, uh, inappropriate or creepy stuff to Artemis. Then he takes care of that stuff."

Alex's brow rose but he said nothing about it. "Sure, I'll help. Just give me a minute, okay?"

"Alright, I'll be outside. Cause I doubt you'll be able to find your way to the study." She teased before closing the door behind her.

Shaking his head with a laugh, he pulled the e-mail back up and once again bit his lip at the same sentence he'd been pondering over. Then he glanced at the door and allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

He hit send without any changes and walked out the door.

* * *

Artemis awoke unceremoniously and changed, blinking the sleep away from his eyes quickly. When he'd dressed and cleaned himself properly he went out to go check on how Alex and Ethryn were doing.

He was about to knock on Ethryn's door when he heard a crash.

Immediately he headed towards the sound, which appeared to be coming from the study. To his surprise, Holly and Butler had already beat him to it, but neither had their guns in their hands raised. Walking past them he too froze at the sight before them.

Ethryn had somehow gotten up onto the top of the bookshelf, which was almost to the ceiling, and a pile of books were on the floor below her. She was peering over the edge in surprise while Alex look up at her, confused, and taking no notice of the people watching them, startlingly baffled.

"How did you even get up there?" Alex demanded, eyes squinted as he tried to figure it out.

She pointed to her back without looking at him, still seeming a little thrown at how the books (which she'd most likely knocked over) ended up on the floor. "Wings."

"Huh," he replied. Then he pointed to the left. "You could've just used the ladder."

"This was quicker," she retorted, still lying on her stomach.

"And admittedly much messier," Artemis added, stepping forward with his arms crossed. "Ethryn, what in the world are you doing up there?"

She opened her mouth to respond and then scowled, "Honestly, I don't have a good answer for that."

Artemis turned to Alex, "Do _you_ want to try and explain?"

Alex shook his head, "I wasn't paying attention. All I heard was a fluttering and then a thump."

Artemis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ethryn, can you please get down _with the ladder_?"

Embarrassed, Ethryn shyly stood and went over to where the ladder was, a whole shelf below where her feet could touch. Artemis noticed immediately that neither of them had changed clothing yet.

"Ethryn-."

"Hold on Artemis," She insisted. "I'm trying not to slip."

It didn't appear as such. You could never tell when Ethryn was actually stumbling or couldn't quite get a grip on something. Her movements were so naturally fluid it looked like she'd planned it out beforehand. When she finally reached the floor she turned to Artemis expectantly.

"I was going to say," Artemis began again, slightly more flustered now. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "That you should probably clean yourselves up, both you and Alex." Then he turned to look at the boy still watching Ethryn in confusion. "I'll have some clothes ordered for you though, Alex. They'll be here in about an hour or so."

"Thank you, Artemis." Alex replied with a slight smile. It was still clear to Artemis how uncomfortable the boy was around him. With a curt nod, Artemis turned to Butler, giving him a meaningful look. The manservant nodded at the implied "_watch them_" from his employer and friend.

* * *

**London, Elsewhere**

To say Opal was furious was an understatement.

Currently twelve dozen people had been fired, rehired, and then fired again in the last two minutes. She was pacing (stomping) across the floor and debating on whether or not to hire them back. After the first day turned up without results she knew she wasn't going to find them. At first Opal had attempted to fool herself into believing otherwise, but now that the second day had gone past with no sign of the two she knew they had no chance.

Another shriek of irritation the assembly of people in front of her had the urge to flinch instinctively away. They'd learned long ago, at the beginning of this meeting that was coming onto its fourth hour, that showing any sign of weakness would set her off on them.

Apparently, one had yet to learn, as he stiffened and his breath hitched.

Opal spun around at once, her eyes completely focused on him.

"And _you_!" She began, glaring at the man who immediately straightened, his tense muscles straining to remain still. He stared nervously as Opal pointed an accusing finger at where he stood in a perfect row like everyone else. Glancing around him for anyone who would defend him in the oncoming attack, he found nothing but pity for the fool who had been dumb enough to react. "Weren't you supposed to _find_ them? Weren't you _in charge_ of finding them?"

Had this man really wanted a death wish, he would have, in fact, pointed out that he was not in charge of security. The only thing he was in charge of was calling the limo services or other various taxi companies for transportation. But, as no one was dumb enough to say anything contrary to what Opal believed or argue with her in any form, he simply held his tongue and looked on boldly, like a soldier being screamed at by a general.

Except this general was much shorter, and much scarier.

"You're too stupid to even say anything!" She screeched, "Why do I hire so many idiots in my company? You're all incompetent imbeciles who have no idea how to do your jobs, and do them _correctly_ for that matter! Do you even know where they were hiding out after they escaped!"

No one said anything.

With another cry, Opal slammed her fist into the wall. Suddenly she became a beast, formerly at bay, calming itself after a long hunt. Opal breathed heavily, leaning her shoulder against the wall as she did so. The row of terrified people became uneasy, wondering what mood would come next from this little bomb that went off without warning.

After one last sigh, she straightened. "Very well, you idiots. Since we haven't found them by now, they're bound to be in the _Fowl_ boys care." She spat the name, glaring hatefully at one of the walls before calming herself once more. "We'll simply have to lure them out of hiding."

Had they been so bold, one of them might have asked how. But they did not, she offered no elaboration, and sent them all out of the room with their jobs, despite the last four and a half hours of her raving about their incompetence.

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Alex had cleaned himself, much to his own personal joy. Ethryn, it appeared, was still in her own room. Although Alex was normally very patient and understanding, he always had enough of that natural male tendency to think '_Girls take **forever** getting ready_!'

So, wondering around his room with slightly wet blond hair, he plopped down onto the computer. Having never closed the internet, he was mildly surprised to see that Sabina had replied to his e-mail already. What day was it, he wondered? Glancing at the date at the bottom of the screen, he was surprised to see it was Saturday. Why was Sabina up at nine in the morning on a _Saturday_? Shaking his head, he read on.

**Alex,**

**Are you serious? That's great! I mean, here I was worrying about  
being a huge jerk and Alex Ryder has already started moving on  
anyways. Geez, I'm so relieved and of course I still want to be your  
friend you idiot! So tell me about this girl!**

**Love,  
Sab  
**

Alex shook his head, laughing at Sabina's natural tendency to bounce back so quickly, eager to hear everything about this other girl. A part of him wondered if she was just a tad jealous but quickly pushed that aside. He was about to hit respond when a message popped up in the middle of the screen.

'**Sabina**_ is requesting a video-chat with you_.'

Alex looked on in confusion. He hadn't even realized she was still online. He quickly clicked the accept button and was surprised to see how quickly the computer loaded. Then again, these computers _were_ in the household of a very young and ingenious mind. Alex wouldn't have put it past Artemis to update even the most unimportant of the technology that stayed in the guest room.

Up in a square on the screen, Sabina had her chin in her hands and was looking up at the ceiling boredly. When she noticed that the screen loaded, she grinned at him and Alex grinned back. Everything with Sabina had always been so easy, he noted, with an inner chuckle.

"Hey, Sab," He said, with a small wave. "What's up?"

"Not much," she admitted. "Just kind of curious as to why you responded to an e-mail at like, three in the morning."

Alex laughed, "My sleep pattern has been tampered with."

"So whose the super-villain this time?" She said sarcastically before shaking her head, "Never mind, I _really_ don't want to know."

He nodded, "Probably not."

"So . . ." she grinned mischievously. "Whose this _girl-_?"

"Sssh!" Alex insisted, motion silence with his hands. "Someone might hear you!"

It was then his friend seemed to notice he wasn't in his natural setting. She squinted at the screen, looking past where Alex sat to the extravagant room behind him. Her eyes widened in surprise. But she lowered her voice nonetheless, obviously alarmed. "Alex, where exactly are you talking to me from?"

"A friend's house," He replied, his expression unreadable.

Sabina's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "A friends house _where_?"

"Ireland."

She rolled her eyes, "Why am I not surprised, Alex?"

"Aw, come on, Sab," he replied. "You know I don't ask for this."

Nodding, she just shrugged off the surprise. "Yeah, okay, okay, whatever. Fair enough."

"So how have you been?" Alex asked, quickly changing the subject from himself.

She smiled. "Pretty good."

"Do I get to ask about the boy?"

"Only if you tell me the girl's name."

Alex seemed to consider this before pulling up an e-mail, sending her the name for fear of being overheard.

Sabina rolled her eyes when she saw the message. "Really, Alex? Are we twelve?"

"You're getting the name," He retorted.

So she opened it and squinted at it, "How do you pronounce that?"

"It's-," But he was cut off at a knock on the door.

"Alex, are you in there?"

Sabina's brow rose with a smirk, "Is that who I think it is?"

Alex paled, "Um-."

Another knock interrupted him, "Alex, who are you talking to?"

"Please, Alex," Sabina begged, quietly, stifling giggles. "Let me see her!"

With a sigh, he knew he'd give in anyways. "Alright fine," He grumbled but to the door he shouted, "I'm just chatting with a friend. You can come in."

The door opened, but the screen was out of Sabina's view. She restlessly fidgeted, her head angling nonetheless. Ethryn entered gracefully, leaving the door half-open behind her as she looked at Alex in confusion.

"But the phones in the other room," She said. "How are you-?"

Alex pointed to the computer, where Sabina was in view for Ethryn, but not vise versa. By now Sabina had given up and plopped down, settling herself comfortably in her black tank top and sweats in the burgundy computer chair in her room.

"Oh!" Ethryn said, surprised. She had yet to notice Alex was still staring slightly at what she wore.

Ethryn had dawned something simple, but she looked pretty in anything. Stunning in everything, actually. She had on black, skinny pants that hugged her form well. For a top she wore a white, intricately laced short-sleeved shirt that also hugged her torso. Alex looked away quickly before she noticed his staring.

"And who might you be?" Sabina asked kindly, "I can't see you in the screen."

Feeling embarrassed for being what she thought was very rude, she quickly moved towards where Alex was. He scooted over, allowing her room next to him. She leaned towards the screen curiously and Sabina's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry," She said, blushing slightly. "My name is Ethryn. Ethryn Fowl. And you are?"

"Sabina," Alex's friend replied, her eyes flicking between the two. "It's nice to meet you, Ethryn."

"Even as strange as this," Ethryn joked. "I have to say, I've never met anyone like this before."

Sabina smiled at her friendly attitude, "I don't think I have either, actually."

Alex sighed in relief at how the two were getting along. "Did you want something, Ethryn?"

"Just wondering where you ran off to. Artemis said he hadn't seen you since this morning."

"So, you were up too at three in the morning?" Sabina asked, with a hidden meaning that only Alex got as she shot him a coy look.

Ethryn nodded vigorously, oblivious to the insinuation. "Yes, it was so _boring_! I was up for a whole hour by myself until Alex woke up too and then we _nothing_ to do besides wonder around the house aimlessly."

"She got in trouble too," Alex said, sticking his tongue out at Sabina when Ethryn wasn't looking for the dirty joke. "Here I am, on the computer in the library when all of the sudden I hear a huge thump. By the time I turn around, three other people and myself are looking up at her trying to figure out how she got on top of the shelf and having knocked books all over the floor."

"I still honestly don't know how that happened," Ethryn admitted with a frown. Then she shrugged it off. "Anyways, so you're a friend of Alex's, Sabina? How long have you known each other?"

"A few years now," Sabina replied, after looking at Alex as they both contemplated the answer. "And you? How long have you known Alex?"

"I don't know," Ethryn seemed to be counting the days on her fingers. "Lets see, I got kidnapped on a Sunday-."

"Ah, you're friends through Alex's job," Sabina interrupted. "Well, probably about a week or so then. Today is Saturday. Is he like, your bodyguard or something?"

"I thought you didn't want to know," Alex retorted with a smile, but Ethryn giggled and shook her head.

"As sure of Alex as I am," Ethryn said with a warm smile and another giggle. "I don't think I'd need the protection."

Sabina smiled, "I'm sure if you're hanging with Alex, there's something there that's keeping you on your toes."

Ethryn nodded before looking at Alex, "I've got to find Artemis and ask him about something. I'll see you later, okay?"

Alex nodded.

She turned to the screen, waving. "It was nice meeting you Sabina. I hope to meet you in person sometime."

"Back at ya," Sabina agreed.

And then Ethryn left the room, thinking nothing of the conversation, except that she hoped she made a new friend to meet in the near future sometime, out of the virtual world and in person. Alex smiled at her joyful mood as she shut the door behind her.

As soon as Sab heard the door click shut, she smirked widely at Alex. "Wow, Alex. She's _pretty_."

Alex nodded his agreement, "Yeah. She's . . . yeah."

"Very literate of you, Alex." Sabina teased as he ruffled his hair in his hand, attempting to hide his embarrassment. "She seems really sweet too, Alex. Don't break her!"

He shook his head, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"So whose this Artemis? Competition?" She asked curiously, pushing some hair behind her ear as she rested her chin on her arms.

Alex snorted, "Her cousin. He's like a . . . protective older brother."

"Well, good luck then." She said. "Or are you actually going to go after her?"

Alex hesitated, "I . . . Doubt it. Just not the right kind of setting, you know?"

Sabina looked on sympathetically. "You'll find the right kind of girl eventually, Alex. In the meantime," she jerked her chin towards where Ethryn had disappeared. "Get to know her while you can. She seems like the type of girl you could, at the very least, be friends with."

Alex smiled, "Thanks, Sab."

"Sure, Alex. Anytime."

* * *

So, Sabina is out of the way with her own little boy-toy, who I shant elaborate on. And the insinuation Alex has a bit of a thing for Ethryn has now been confirmed. Opal's still pretty pissed about everything but she's got a plan to lure them out.

AND HOW DOES ARTEMIS FEEL ABOUT HIS LITTLE SISTER FIGURE WITH ANOTHER DUDE?

Find out later, but till then!


	9. Conversion

Aw, we'll see how this chapter goes.

Alex introduces Ethryn to more natural culture in music, possibly. We'll see how this chapter goes.

* * *

**Chapter 9  
"Conversion"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Ethryn wondered vaguely why Artemis had been acting so strangely recently. Ever since the ride home Artemis had been extremely busy and she hadn't seen him much since her return, even if it had been just a few hours. When she used to stay here she felt glued to the hip with him. Now something was wrong and she intended to ask him what. Also, despite the latest events, she still wondered what Artemis would think about her getting a pet. Maybe some type of guard dog so this wouldn't happen again.

Reaching his door, her hand raised in a slight fist to knock, she heard murmuring on the other side.

Pausing, Ethryn stopped her hand in confusion. What could be so important Artemis was talking so secretively about it? Hesitantly, and not quite knowing why, Ethryn placed her ear against the door and listened quietly.

"I don't like it," Artemis was saying, the sound only slightly muffled. "It's not safe for her."

Ethryn wondered if he was talking about her. What wasn't safe?

"Aw come on, Arty," Holly's voice replied. "I know you love her like a little sister, but she does have the right to make her own choices. The Council pretty much lost all control over her decisions, too, when they slacked off enough to let her be kidnapped."

Kidnapped. So they were talking about her.

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked, clearly confused.

Ethryn frowned. What were they talking about? Decision making? What choices or options were she looking at here?

"The Council has an undertone oath. We won't hurt other creatures so long as they aren't hurting us. This is why we can go after and shoot at criminals and obviously can't go against those who are innocent. When the Council stops protecting you, you're free to do as you like with your own consequence. As soon as we alert them about what's happened, they no longer have any control of Ethryn." Holly explained. "Should she choose to do as you think she might, they can't stop her. Of course, we should probably conveniently leave out that Alex knows about fairies, but otherwise, she's home-free, able to do as she likes."

Artemis's voice darkened considerably. She imagined him pinching the bridge of his nose, which he seemed to be doing a lot lately. She wondered if he really ever had a headache when he did that. For a genius, that could be potentially disastrous. Was that why Artemis was acting so strange, then? Because he had a headache and was worried about it? But then what would she have to do with a headache? Ethryn's face saddened. She didn't like the idea that she could be causing anyone any physical harm, especially Artemis, who had done nothing but help her.

"I don't like the idea of her running free, Holly. Ethryn is perfectly capable of taking care of herself in a combative and strategical environment but when it comes to connecting with other people . . . she trusts others too much. It does not appear Alex is the type of boy to play someones emotions carelessly, but you never know with teenage boys."

Ethryn's eyes widened, her body freezing up. Why were they talking about someone who had saved her life so shamefully? As if she would let anyone untrustworthy have her heart! It was as if they thought she'd learned nothing from her experience with Tristan. She shoved down the shiver at his name and continued to scowl at the wall she faced, her head still resting on the door to listen, as if it'd been the one who'd insulted her. Artemis never understood why she was always so kind to strangers. It was because she knew that deep down, on the inside, people were naturally kind, even if they didn't show it on the outside. Sometimes things happened to them to make them unkind, and that was the point she knew to stay away from them, but the average population was actually quite sweet if you let them be. Why couldn't he understand that?

"You sound like your fifty, Artemis," Holly retorted. "You're not out of your teenage years yet, either. And don't try to tell me your hormones haven't ever effected your judgment, lest I remind you of Minerva. Or Orion."

Artemis huffed. "Orion was the result of a severe mental illness. I hardly thing he counts."

"In which category? Hormones, impaired judgment, or both?"

He was silent a moment, "We're getting off the subject. I will admit that I too have been inflicted by bias of the opposite sex, but I will also admit that never once has anyone ever 'broken my heart' so to speak." Suddenly his voice was smug. "And I will point out that I've still been kissed."

Holly's voice sounded irritated, like she was glaring at him. "People are allowed to make mistakes in affection, Artemis. Ethryn's choice should be her own. She should be allowed to give her heart to who she wants. I don't even know why you're worrying about it. It's not like she's throwing herself at him . They're just friends."

"I've taken care of her for a while now, Holly. I don't want to see her hurt." Artemis replied, sadly.

Ethryn's heart seized at those words. An image flashed painfully in her mind, making her muscles tense in horror as she jerked away from the door.

_A sickeningly familiar roof-top, golden as the sun began to set, flickered with another figure on the roof, a grown man, heading towards her._

_"I have cared for you. I would never hurt you."_

She leaned heavily against the wall, shaking slightly. Artemis wasn't like Tristan, she reminded herself. Even if people said similar things it didn't make them the same. Yet that feeling of being controlled started to creep over her again. As over it as she convinced she was, Ethryn knew of the underlying intense fear of being nothing more then a puppet for someone else to play with. Artemis already considered her that, it seemed. Why should she think anymore highly of herself?

'_No!_' Her mind screamed back at her. '_You aren't weak, Artemis is just worried about you! He's just like this, you know that by now!_'

Even though she knew this true, Ethryn knew she needed to get out of the house. She needed momentary freedom to work this all out. She'd go into the maze of garden that Artemis had out in the backyard. But as much as Ethryn wanted closure, she did not want solitude. So who did she go to? Butler would listen and maybe understand, but she didn't feel like he could be someone who could comfort, as found of her as she knew he was. Definitely not Artemis. And Holly would just try to convince her what she already knew. She didn't have any close friends to call on the phone. Maybe Angeline Fowl, but she really wanted a person to hug her, not someone to simply speak sympathetic words while they were who knows where on a business trip.

That left one somewhat appealing option.

* * *

"Well he's nice," Sabina was saying. Then she chuckled, "And I'm sorry Alex, he's got you one up on the hot-scale."

Alex rolled his eyes, laughing.

"But," Sabina teased. "_You-know-who_ has pretty much got a good head start on the prettiest of movie stars, so its only fair."

"Well-." Alex was saying when someone knocked. "Oh, one sec."

"Sure."

He got up and opened the door to see Ethryn looking dejectedly at the floor, about to leave. She whirled around in surprise when the door opened and Alex look at her with concern and confusion.

"Y-You're busy," She began. "I was just leav-."

Alex shook his head, "Stay here."

Reluctantly, she nodded and stayed put.

He walked back into his room, glancing at Ethryn, who was still waiting in front of the door and wearing the expression of a kicked puppy. His voice was soft-spoken, so that Ethryn could not hear."I gotta talk to you later Sab. Ethryn just came up, she looks upset."

Now it was her turn to look concern. She lowered her voice to where Alex could just hear it. "Is she okay?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Then he closed the internet and walked back to her. It was then that he realized, to his horror, that tears were just starting to spill over in his eyes. Alex, being a naturally compassionate person, immediately stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Look at me, Ethryn," He began, shocked. Reluctantly, she did so. Two wet lines on her face showed Alex that the waterworks had already started. "What happened? Are you okay? Did something-?"

"I don't want to talk about it in the house," she replied, quietly. "Can we go outside?"

Alex nodded at once, releasing her. He wasn't sure how to react to Ethryn being so upset. Despite that he'd gotten to know her more in a week then most other people got to know each other in a week, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by putting an arm around her in a sense of comfort. She might think of it differently, so he walked next to her in a close proximity until they reached the backyard. Alex marveled for a moment at its expanse until Ethryn continued walking, towards the dense forest outskirts. Geez, how much property did Artemis's family _own_?

They walked for what Alex guessed to be about twenty minutes until Ethryn found an area with dry ground and the sun basking them in some warmth. Neither had said a word the whole way up. Alex had only been waiting for her to start talking about what was bothering her. He knew he really hated it when people tried to pry into his business if he was upset and he wasn't going to put her in that situation. He was going to be patient and wait it out, however desperately he wished to know what was wrong. This was turning out to be a rather eventful day, he decided.

It was then Ethryn turned to Alex, threw her arms about him, and began to cry into his shoulder, hard.

Alex was so stunned that for a moment he wasn't quite sure what to do. Finally snapping out of his stupor, he gently placed on hand on her back and the other stroked her hair comfortingly. He prayed he wasn't making her uncomfortable.

"Ssh," He said, slowly, as compassionately as he could. He couldn't remember the last time he'd tried to get anyone above the age of nine to stop crying. "Its okay, Ethryn. You can cry all you want, I'll wait."

That appeared to be the right thing to say, as she did just that. Alex, still stroking her hair with concern, took this time to evaluate the position they were in. One would think, should anyone somehow be able to see them in this dense forest that Ethryn seemed to know expertly, that they were something like lovers with how passionate the situation was. Ethryn had her arms hooked under his, her hands on his shoulders. And Alex was pressing her to him with one hand and running his hand through her hair with the other. But hearing another choked sob he decided he didn't really care.

What did Jack do once, when he wouldn't stop crying? He wondered this until he remembered, then scowled. That had only worked when he was a kid. But thinking about how innocent Ethryn always appeared to be, maybe it would work.

Alex, choking down his pride and hatred of his voice, began to do something between humming and singing. The song wasn't exactly a lullaby but with his slowed beat at which he hummed/sang, it very well could have been. Ethryn's shaking began to slow until it altogether disappeared, and her face remained buried into his chest until he stopped. Then slowly, with a tear streaked face, she looked at him with slight confusion.

"Feeling any better?" He asked, with a slight smile.

She nodded and sat down against the nearest tree. He said down across from her, a few inches away. She used her hands to wipe away the remaining tears, glancing at his slightly damp shoulder. But Alex shrugged it off and turned to look back at her.

"I'm sorry," she started, seeing his glance.

Alex held up a hand, "Its no problem. It's just a shirt. Are _you_ okay?"

Ethryn looked back down at her lap, "I . . ."

Taking a chance, Alex reached across and touched her hand gently. She looked up in surprise, "You can tell me, Ethryn." He smiled. "Any secret of yours is safe with me, I promise. And even if you don't want to tell me, I'll sit with you as long as you like."

She smiled slightly through her sadness and sniffled, "Thank you, Alex."

"That's what friends are for," He insisted chivalrously.

So Ethryn bit her lip, "You already know I'm an Angel."

He nodded, "Yeah. Still trying to fully grasp that."

"It's a difficult concept for even the Fairy People." Ethryn smirked a little. But she continued more seriously, her mood dampening once again. "Obviously, Angel's weren't known of here except in religious Earth concepts. I came from a whole other dimension, as I told you, chased and hunted down. He was probably what you would consider a stalker. He was convinced that deep down, I loved him, or at the very least could learn to love him. I ran here to try and get away from him, but he followed me. Just by my own luck, as I also said before, Artemis and Holly saved me from bleeding to death when he cut off a piece of my wing in an attempt to stop me from running."

Alex stared at her in complete horror, unable to say a word. He no longer wondered why she had been crying, even if he hadn't heard the whole story. If she had been through something like that she had every reason to cry.

"They kept me here, in the house, because I'm afraid of being underground, where the rest of the Fairy People live. You can't see the sky. As a creature of flight that's about as close to torture as you can get. But even this far from where I fell from the sky, which was in Norway, the man still hunted me."

"You were being chased by a grown man?" Alex asked in disbelief. When Ethryn nodded slowly, looking at the floor, he quieted and let her continue. Neither realized he still had his hand over hers.

"His name was Tristan. He pursued me mercilessly, divulging himself into such madness he was convinced that he owned me already. Tristan went so far into his own imagination he thought Artemis was an Angel too, a competitor for my love. He wanted Artemis dead."

"What happened?" Alex asked breathlessly.

"Tristan was trying to bait me into going after him, because he'd brought another girl into this world who I cared about, his little sister. He threatened to kill her. The LEP only allowed him to find me so that she could be kept safe. They fought, severely, him and Ellen. Then when she fell, I was there to help. But in the end Artemis was the one who picked up the gun someone had dropped and shot him. Even though Tristan was planning on killing him, Artemis was still upset about taking a life." She took a deep breath. "Every since then Alex I've been very scared of being owned. Of having any of my freedom taken away."

"That's understandable," Alex assured her. "I'd be surprised if that experience _hadn't_ changed you in some way."

Ethryn's eyes began to water again as she looked up at him. "I feel weak, Alex. I don't like feeling so helpless, at the mercy to other people. I love Artemis dearly, but every once in a while his protectiveness reminds me of possessiveness." Suddenly her hands balled up into fists, glaring hatefully at the grass crushed between her fingers. "It's all Tristan's fault! I should be feeling grateful to how generous Artemis and everyone have been to me rather then afraid of what their intentions are!"

"Ethryn," Alex said, squeezing her hand to regain her attention. She looked up at him, her anger starting to fade as he spoke. "Being afraid is irrational. No one can help it. Especially after a traumatizing experience like the one you went through, you can't just expect yourself to go back to normal, or else, what will you have learned from the situation you were in? Being afraid if something like a learning experience. It teaches you things you didn't think about before. In a way, its bad, because then we realize we can't always trust who we want too. But its also good, because now we don't have to go through that again. If something Artemis says bothers you, maybe you should try talking to him about it."

"What if he doesn't listen?" She replied. "Artemis can be stubborn sometimes."

Alex shook his head, "He'll listen about something like this. I know he will. But, if you don't want to talk to him," he smiled, moving to sit next to her. "You can always rant to me about whatever is bothering you whenever its bothering you."

She laughed, "Even at three in the morning?"

"Especially at the three in the morning," Alex joked back. "Even when this is over and I have to go home, you'll still have me as a friend."

Ethryn leaned her head against her shoulder, giggling teasingly. "Darn. I thought I was going to get rid of you when we went back to our old lives."

"Back to being an ant-social secret agent and an heiress, whose secretly an angel. Perfect differences wouldn't you think?" The last sentence was dull with depression and sarcasm as he scowled.

She lifted her head slightly. "What was that song you were mumbling earlier?"

"I don't remember," Alex admitted. "I just remember it from somewhere."

The little angel looked up at the bright sky. "It's pretty."

"Mm," Alex nodded, also looking up.

They were quiet for a moment, two friends sitting together in peace. The sky eventually began to darken with oncoming clouds, threatening the whole of Ireland with rain. But neither made any move to go inside. It was too comfortable.

"You know," Ethryn said after a while. "I looked up some music one time, when I was in hiding with Artemis and Holly was there in case anything happened. I just never really thought to do it again after that."

"Really?" Alex asked, intrigued and glancing down at her head that still rested on his shoulder. Vaguely, his subconscious wondered what Artemis would think if he found the two of them like this. Were they looking for them? But that thought was pushed to the back of his mind as she continued speaking, her hand worming its way into his unnoticed. "Well, at least you had some familiarity with music. By the way, if you don't mind my asking, what did Artemis say that reminded you of this Tristan guy?"

Extending his fingers with hers, they became intertwined. Alex's brow rose in confusion and the calm and peaceful, friendly atmosphere changed as Ethryn examined their hands, as if in consideration. Then she turned to Alex, who was watching her in a startled stupor. But he wasn't making any move to pull his hand away. A small part of him wanted to out of personal respect, but another part of him wanted to see where she was going with this. Alex was also a bit nervous she might get offended if he did pull his hand away, or get her feelings hurt somehow, so he remained where he was.

"I overheard a conversation he was having with Holly," Ethryn replied serenely, as if mesmerized by their hands, Alex's over the back of hers, as she'd arranged them to be. "He was remarking something about how I trusted people too easily. I disagree though."

Alex swallowed. "Why?"

"People are naturally kind on the inside," She began explaining, still transfixed. Alex wondered what was so fascinating about their hands but still made no attempt to extricate himself from her. "Its just the surface that's rough. I _did_ learn my lesson with Tristan. I know the difference between those who I should stay away from and the people I can be nice too. For example, the insomniac prisoner who had the cell opposite mine was nice, even if he did look rather disheveled."

Alex smirked, "I didn't look_ that _bad."

Ethryn smirked, finally looking elsewhere, up at him. "Sure you didn't."

"Where are you going with this, then?" He ventured at last, hoping he didn't lose his nerve at being as bold as to ask.

She paused, thoughtful once again. "Artemis was concerned that I like you."

* * *

Yes. I wanted to elaborate on this ongoing relationship between the two and this is all happening in the course of ONE DAY.

Wait impatiently for the next chapter to see how the rest of this situation goes.


	10. Proclamations

And continuation of the last chapter, of course.

You shall see be surprised to find I wrote the last three chapters and am starting this one all on the same day.

Later that Day: I THINK I'M HAVING THE WORST WRITERS BLOCK OF MY LIFE!

* * *

**Chapter 10  
"Proclamations"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor Garden  
**

Alex froze, resulting with Ethryn turning to look at him curiously. He stared at her in disbelief, rewinding the last few seconds to make sure he'd hear her right and trying to think of all the possibilities of what else she could have said. Because it was simply impossible she'd said something like that so plainly and out of the blue.

"You . . . what?" Alex asked, when he could form words.

Ethryn was seemed unfazed. "I like you, Alex. You're the best friend I've ever had."

His thundering heart calmed.

"You're a very kind and considerate person. You're also very brave and accept me for what I am without treating me differently." By now she had moved away from him, running her hands through her hair as she continued. "And like you've said before, we know a lot about each other, even if we've only known each other for a week."

Thoughts raced through Alex's head and he looked up at the sky to try and clear his head to decide his next move.

She leaned forward, peering at him, "Are you alright, Alex?"

This immediately snapped him out of it and he stared at her in surprise, "Yeah, fine."

Ethryn appeared hesitant to believe him, but appeared to respect his space and sat back down, still looking on with slight concern. "Alright . . . I want to thank you, Alex. Not a lot of people would have taken that time to listen to me."

Alex smiled at her, "That's what friends are for."

Giggling, she stood. "We should get back before anyone comes looking for us. We've been gone for a while now."

Surprised, Alex stood as well. He honestly hadn't noticed the passing time.

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

A few hours passed.

"Have you seen Ethryn?" Artemis asked Butler.

The manservant shook his head. "I thought I saw her heading outside with Alex again, but I haven't seem them in about an hour."

Holly noticed Artemis's disapproving scowl. She nudged him. "They probably just went out to get some fresh air, Artemis. Ethryn never likes to be alone when she's running around outside. You know that."

The genius simply scowled and said nothing.

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a whiner, Artemis."

Artemis stared at her in shock, disagreement clear in his face. "That is preposterous. I most certainly am not!"

Holly began to laugh, "You are only proving my point by arguing with me."

He scowled, "It seems you have put me in a 'no-win situation', so to speak. Although the grammatical errors in that sentence _alone_-!"

"Ahem, Artemis?"

Thus interrupted he turned to see Ethryn, standing a few feet in front of Alex. She had her hands folded in her lap with some form of uncertainty, nervously biting her lip and looking up at him from under her eyelashes. Artemis's brow rose in surprise at her timidness and shot a questioning gaze at Alex when her eyes diverted to the floor. The teenager seemed concerned and sick for Ethryn's well-being. Upon seeing the confusion in Artemis's gaze, the Irish genius was glad once more for his skill in lip-reading.

'She was crying,' Alex mouthed, emphasizing this by first pointing at Ethryn and then making crying gestures.

Artemis's eyes widened in surprise. He replied back, silently, 'Why?'

Alex just shook his head and jerked her chin. He took it as a 'She needs to tell you herself' sort of move. So with a resigned look he then put on a more caring expression and took a step toward Ethryn.

"Are you alright, Ethryn?" Holly asked before he could.

Ethryn looked up between the two, glancing over her shoulder at Alex. Her friend gave an encouraging smile and nod before she turned back to Artemis after taking a deep breath and approaching him. "I need to talk to you, Artemis," she said quietly.

Nodding and placing an affectionate hand on her shoulder, he replied as kindly as possible, "Of course, Ethryn. Shall we talk in the study, then?"

"Sure," she muttered, delicately.

As the two left with themselves, Holly looked to Alex for information, once they were out of earshot. Artemis wasn't the only one to have understood what Alex had mouthed. "What's eating her?"

Alex sighed, "It's a long story."

* * *

"Sit, please," Artemis offered.

Ethryn sat in the chair opposite him, and then Artemis sat.

"Now," he began, folding his hands in his lap and looking up at her with concern. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

She bit her lip, "I . . . I heard you talking about me, Artemis."

His eyes widened in surprise. Out of the list of possibilities he had deduced, this was not one of them. "What did I say to upset you, Ethryn?"

Her eyes roamed anywhere but him as her hand clutched the side of her arm. Now Ethryn was feeling far more vulnerable and alone then she liked. As open as the young Angel was she couldn't function when something was truly bothering her. Artemis began to figure this out as he read the emotions flashing across her face as she, most likely unknowingly, began to dig her fingernails into her arm. His concern simply grew and guilty fear began to appear in himself as well. What had he done to make her react so violently against her better knowledge?

When she continued to not answer him, Artemis tried again. "I apologize for whatever I said to have made you so nervous, Ethryn, but please, tell me what it is."

Finally she looked up at him, "You said something similar to what . . . Tristan said."

Artemis Fowl the Second had never looked so startled.

"You," she squeezed her eyes shut. Regaining her bravery she sighed and looked up at him, "Artemis, Tristan is a part of my life that will affect me. It's just something I'm still learning to deal with. You're my big brother, Artemis, so I appreciate your concern and help in getting me where I am, successfully passing me off as a human, and even allowing me to join your family. But Artemis . . . I still have my own opinions about myself."

Artemis, having regained some composure, now looked on in genuine curiosity. This had now become a learning experience. Except rather then science or arithmetic, this time he was learning about how his cousin thought. Up until now he realized he had never really thought of her as anything but co-dependent, a beautiful girl but just that. A girl not yet capable of being a woman or having mature thoughts.

It was that moment he realized that whilst you could be a genius, you could also overlook much, apparently. Rarely did he ever feel like an ignoramus. Only once with Holly and that was when telling her that he had tricked her into helping him cure his mother. He could've smacked himself in the forehead then and now.

"I heard your concern about myself and Alex possibly starting a relationship. I couldn't assure you that we will or won't, since I don't really have that ability to see into the future." Ethryn smiled at her attempt at dry humor, gaining courage that was no longer needed to continue. She felt like Artemis's peer once again. Like a younger sister reassuring her big brother he was always going to be the big brother. It was sort of . . . touching. "But Artemis, that isn't really your choice. It's my decision to make, whenever the time comes. Of course I'll ask your input on it if I am unsure of myself but other then that Artemis, it really isn't any of your business."

Artemis took a moment to contemplate before looking at Ethryn with such sincere regret she immediately felt silly for being such a nervous wreck at the start of the conversation. Her small smile grew warmer.

"I completely agree with you," He replied. Then he scowled, more at himself then anything else. "I feel like such a controlling imbecile. Forgive me, Ethryn."

She stood, as did Artemis, and she hugged him tightly. "It's okay, Artemis. So long as you remember to keep your space in the relationship area, you're welcome to but into almost every other aspect of my life."

He snorted, "_Almost_ every other aspect?"

"I highly doubt you'll want to know about my _feminine_ things," She said, with a smirk as she released him from her hug. Ethryn began to giggle at Artemis's slight cringe. "Which reminds me. There was something I've been meaning to ask you. Something I _do_ want your input on."

"Which is?" Artemis asked, his brow rising, glad of the distraction from Ethryn's previously mentioned 'feminine problems'.

"I've been thinking about getting a pet."

Artemis scowled a bit. "What _kind_ of pet?"

* * *

"They've been in there a while," Holly pointed out, jerking her chin in the general direction of the door where Artemis and Ethryn had been in for almost an hour now.

Alex made an unsure face, watching the door and inwardly debating whether he should check up on things or not. This thought trail went on for a few minutes more until he heard Holly laugh.

He turned to look at her in surprise. "What?"

She shook her head, "Artemis wouldn't hurt Ethryn. You don't need to check on them."

His eyes widened considerably. "How did you know what I was thinking?" He asked, somewhat suspiciously.

Holly smiled in understanding, "Not a Fairy thing. Just a people-reading kind of thing."

Alex nodded, relaxing a bit. "Holly?"

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind my asking," He bit his lip, hesitating, before continuing. "Do you find it uncomfortable? You know, being a Fairy with all these humans around who are, well, taller then you and look different then you."

Holly considered this. Eventually, she shook her head, "Not really. Fairies live underground, actually. Any chance we get to go topside we take. Humans are just something you get used to, or at least a tolerance for. Artemis, Butler, and a few others relating to them are the only humans I've built a friendship with, though. We don't make it a habit to be seen by them and avoid it as much as possible."

Alex was intrigued. "And if you're spotted anyways?"

She tapped the side of her head, next to her eyes, with a smirk. "Most creatures have an ability to _mesmer_ people, meaning, use their magic to hypnotize anyone into forgetting anything they saw or heard. All we have to have is eye contact and some spark of magic left."

"You mean you run out?" Alex then became a bit embarrassed. "Sorry for asking all these questions."

"No, it's fine, really. Well, actually, I'm sure the Fairy People wouldn't be all too pleased, but I'm on vacation. I can do what I like," She said, with a smile. "And to answer your question, yes, we can run out of magic. Healing is an ability we have. We can heal ourselves or others but it takes a lot of magic out of us. To replenish it once we're out, we've got to do this ceremony during a full moon. To put it simply, we go out, pick an acorn, and plant it elsewhere."

"Like planting magic," Alex joked, with a smile. "Cool."

Holly laughed when the door to the study (connecting to the one Ethryn and Artemis were in) opened. Ethryn seemed pleased and Artemis as neutral as ever, but with a small smile on his face. Immediately though, his attention was on Alex. But he quickly looked away, as Ethryn was talking animatedly in her excitement.

"So then when is it going to be here?" She asked, eyes sparkling slightly.

Artemis had a feeling she was going to pester him about this for some time to come. "Whenever you pick one out."

"Well how do I do that?"

"You have one of two options," Artemis began, hoping he wouldn't have to explain this again. "Either go online, or find a shelter somewhere and meet them in person. I think it would be more advisable to meet them in person, as the internet can be deceiving. Not to mention you'll build a better bond that way."

Alex looked back and forth between the two, "I see things went well."

Ethryn smiled at him appreciatively. "Yes. I'm getting a dog."

"Is that what you were so worried about?" Holly then demanded, clearly still bothered in being left out of the loop. "You didn't think Artemis would let you have a pet?"

Artemis shook his head, "Actually, my dear cousin has told me ever so politely that she overheard our conversation and that I should keep my nose out of her personal business. Also, if she wants my opinion, she'll ask for it."

Holly took one look at a slightly smirking Ethryn (who was looking at Alex) before bursting out laughing. Ethryn too began to giggle a bit. Artemis scowled. Through her laughter, Holly managed out, "Serves you right, Artemis! I told you that you should stay out of things that weren't your concern!"

The genius was laughed at for a short moment before Alex cut in, with a smile. "So what kind of dog are you getting?"

She seemed pleased he'd asked, "I want a medium sized dog. Not a big one of a little yappy one."

"Like . . . a Labrador?" Alex suggested.

Ethryn's face lit up. "That's a perfect dog!"

"Are you getting a puppy or a grown dog or what?" Holly asked. "There's a lot more into getting a pet then just picking a type. You have to know how to train it and get the right care-taking things for it. Stuff like that."

Ethryn smiled. "One step at a time, Holly."

"Baby steps," Artemis agreed.

* * *

**London, Elsewhere**

"But, Miss Opal," The young woman said shakily. "How am I supposed to get her out of the house?"

"Artemis trusts you," Opal replied, with a sneer of a smile. "He might not trust you to take care of her, after almost getting yourself killed and Ethryn kidnapped, but doubtless the most we'll have to worry about it extra security. All you have to do is convince Artemis you've been in intensive care with a slight memory drawback. I've checked his systems. He's made no move to attempt to find you, as he assumed we disposed of you."

"Miss Koboi, I don't think you understand," The woman disagreed, in disbelief. This Opal person was unnerving, but through experience, she found Artemis Fowl to have accomplished a degree of terrifying that shouldn't be possible for a boy his age. It was the first day of the job and he had made it very clear that should anything about her prove unprofessional, it would prove most consequential to her career. She took his advice and did the best job she could, asking no questions, like a true professional. So far, it had only gotten her put into a dark and claustrophobic room for who knew how long until she was brought into the light and told by this petite woman she was going to be used in a plan against him.

She had to be kidding, right?

Opal slowly turned her head away from the mirror to face her, "No, Miss, I don't think _you_ understand."

And suddenly her voice was hypnotic, and all of the woman's fear dripped away. A voice like this could do her no wrong, it would never wish any harm upon her. It was such a soothing thing to hear, she felt complete trust and loyalty.

She'd do anything the owner of such a voice could ask.

"_You've forgotten your memories since anyone saw you last. You've been staying at the local hospital until you remembered what had happened, spoke nothing of it, and assured the hospital you had someone at home to take care of you. The whole time you were frightened of what had happened to Ethryn. As soon as you return home, the first thing you will do is contact your employer and tell him what happened to you. You will apologize profusely, because you were unable to protect his cousin and do anything, by all means, to keep your job and return Ethryn to London. If that is not possible, remind him that in the public's view, you are still her legal guardian and caretaker and admit you're not quite positive how to handle the situation then. **When** Artemis ships you to Ireland, take her or that other blond boy she's staying with into the forest Saturday at around 3:00 in the evening and hand whoever you can get over to us. And you've never met me before then if Artemis or anyone else asks. Do you understand?_"

The mesmerized victim nodded helplessly. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." Opal replied, the _mesmer_ in her voice disappearing. "Now, my guards will be calling a cab for you. Until Saturday, Madame."

The woman suddenly found herself hoisted up by the arm and dragged out of the room.

Opal gave a peal of laughter as soon as the door shut, turning to herself in the vanity she was fixating herself in. Her recent irritation was long over, as she had by now remembered that everyone else was incompetent except herself. The hopeless fools couldn't be blamed for their stupidity and lack of success. It was unfair to expect so much from misfits. But now she had a plan that was full proof. She wasn't as ignorant as Artemis was. Long ago had she seen the potential that led to this back-up plan. It wasn't by mere chance she'd shoved Alex and Ethryn together. Originally, when she'd heard of the Scorpia informant, she would've thought nothing of it and let him be. But upon seeing how reasonably good-looking he was, she knew at once that he would be the perfect back-up plan.

How glad she was that she hadn't killed Miss Harrison and kept her locked up, just in case anything went wrong.

"You've made a mistake, Artemis Fowl," She sneered, smiling viciously at herself in the mirror as she prepared her expression for when she actually saw him next. "And I intend to exploit it so carefully, you won't even realize what's happened until it's too late."

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

The phone rang.

Ethryn was on the computer, looking up what exactly a Labrador was. Artemis was talking about training techniques with her while Holly would cut in every now and then about how training wouldn't be too hard for Ethryn because of her Fairy genes. Animals were naturally drawn to their kind and responded well to them. This had led to a whole new conversation sprouted from Alex's curiosity, which was currently what they were speaking of. Artemis was even in the conversation, with Butler standing quietly in the corner on alert, until the ringing had interrupted them.

It was Artemis's cell phone.

"Excuse me," he said, apologetically, pulling the sleek phone from his pocket and examining the caller ID. His eyes widened in surprise and then he let out an audible groan. The boy genius was clearly not happy. "Of course _she'd_ be calling at a time like this."

"Who is it, Artemis?" Holly asked, obviously a bit unnerved. Ethryn and Alex glanced at one another, also appearing a bit unsure of themselves.

He didn't answer, as he'd already flipped open the phone. His most polite tone was suddenly thickly layered in his tone of voice, disguising completely how distressed he was at whoever was calling. "Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting a call from _you_ today."

Holly's eyes narrowed and she vaguely wondered if Artemis was refusing to say their name on purpose, just to be irritating and keep everyone else in suspense and out of the loop. As he shot a smug look at her and a wink unnoticed by everyone else, her eyes narrowed further and she knew she was right. But he sneered off her irritated expression and turned away from her to continue the conversation.

Some things never changed.

Artemis waited for the other person to stop speaking before he responded. "I wonder about your concern. You've never even met her." After a moment he flinched at the loud response and everyone was informed of the feminine gender of the other speaker. "Unfortunately, now isn't the best time . . . That's _my_ problem, not- . . . Yes, I know your assistance is invaluable at times, but it's just not necessary at the moment . . . You really don't have too . . . No, I'm not saying I don't want you to come out, it's just that, as I said before, it's not a good time to be visiting . . . Yes, but- . . ." Artemis sighed. "Very well. If you insist. Although I have to say, it's awfully rude to just invite yourself to people's houses. I hope you don't make a habit of that." He chuckled at the reply. "Yes then. See you soon." And he clicked the phone shut.

"Who was that, Artemis?" Ethryn asked, intrigued. "And whose coming down?"

"You remember that friend I told you about, Ethryn?" Artemis replied. "The one Butler often refers to as 'my female version' behind my back?"

Butler smirked a bit and Ethryn nodded, "Oh, yes, uh, what's her name again?"

Holly's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't be serious, Artemis. She's coming down here? Of all the inconvenient-!"

"Wait, I'm sorry," Alex interrupted, obviously still confused and left out in the dark. "Who are we talking about, exactly?"

"Eh," Ethryn was biting her lip, trying to remember the name.

Artemis answered for them. "An old friend of mine, Minerva Paradizo. It seems we're going to be having an unexpected visit from her."

* * *

And yes, I couldn't leave out poor Minerva. She had like, three sentences mentioned in my last story, and Ethryn hasn't actually ever met her yet. **I can't remember if Minerva was mind-wiped or not, but in my story, she wasn't! So deal with it!** She will be in the next chapter.

Also, Opal's plan will be taking course. And what will the ever beautiful Minerva stir up when she arrives? Will some type of jealousy form? And from who, Ethryn, or Holly? Will Opal succeed? How will Minerva act, as a nuisance, or a grateful Ally?

Till the next chapter or so.


	11. Enter Minerva

Yay for Minerva!

Enjoy my slavery.

* * *

**Chapter 11  
"Enter Minerva"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Ethryn had never before met Minerva Paradizo. Many times she'd heard Artemis speaking to her on the phone, but never had any arrangements ever been made to introduce the two of them. She'd always suspected Artemis didn't want them to meet, but now he was making sure Ethryn made a good impression. The moment Minerva's arrival had been made known, Artemis had instructed Ethryn to pick out something a bit fancier. He'd even got new clothes for Alex to wear.

They'd already been warned about Minerva's oblivious attitude to others feelings. Holly had made a joke about her being Artemis's other female half. He didn't make any objections to it, but didn't seem very pleased at the comparison between the two. Ethryn was now wearing a black and violet dress, refusing to wear shoes just to bother Artemis. Despite his protests at how childish she was being she still insisted that just because this girl had gotten under his skin didn't mean she was going to get under hers. Alex was surprised at how reasonable that sounded and even more surprised Artemis (though obviously irritated with her) did not further argue on the subject.

"Oh, Artemis?" Ethryn said, making the teenage genius stop in his preparations.

He looked up at her, still slightly put off by her refusal to wear shoes. "Yes?"

"Can I have your phone for a minute? I found a shelter online I wanted to call about pet care." She smiled reasonably.

Artemis frowned at the request. On very rare occasions did Artemis Fowl not have his phone in his hand. But seeing Ethryn's genuine need for his phone (Heaven only knew what she'd done with hers _this_ time, as she'd developed a habit of losing them only to have them later turn up in the most unexpected of places) he reluctantly reached into his jacket pocket and handed it over to her.

"If anyone calls, answer it, inform the caller they'll be in contact with Artemis Fowl the Second in a moment, and then come and find me at once. I've no urgent business that should expect a call, but you never know these days." Artemis ordered, as she listened intently. His eyes narrowed in warning. "And don't lose it, break it, or leave it anywhere. Be extremely careful with this, alright?"

She nodded, "Okay, Artemis."

Ethryn was now in her room at the moment, looking out her window through the veiled curtain for any sign of the car that would have this Minerva girl inside. She waited in such a stillness one might have thought she'd been frozen in time. Despite her generally excitable and restless nature, Ethryn was perfectly capable of holding still for amounts of time that others would have trouble with. After speaking with the shelter and organizing a meeting to talk later in more detail about taking care of a pet, she hung up and left Artemis's phone sitting neatly on her bed, out in the open, impossible to forget or lose. The phone had not rang, as expected, but now Ethryn wasn't paying attention to it. After what could have been hours or minutes, her eyes widened in obvious joy as she spotted a car rolling down the road to their house. It was far too luxurious to have any destination other then hers and she let out a relieved laugh.

She had just ran out of the room when the phone buzzed. Had anyone been in the room to read the caller ID, they would very likely have been shocked to see the name that was clearly displayed on the phone.

**Caller: Colleen Harrison**

* * *

Alex looked up from the door, standing next to Holly as Artemis stood a few feet in front of them as Butler went to answer the door. Artemis had long ago dawned his most unreadable face as he had continuously glanced up at the stairs. Ethryn hadn't come out of her room since she'd been talking to that shelter. Artemis had made some unhappy remarks about her absence, suspecting she'd be up there yapping about "that idiotic animal she hasn't even picked out yet" for some time.

The door opened and Butler's voice said, "Good afternoon, Minerva."

"_Bonjour_, Butler!" A dominantly French female voice rang out. "May I come in?"

"But of course," the manservant replied, stepping aside and opening the door further. "I suspect your bags are in the car, then. Shall I get them for you?"

Alex stared in surprise at the rather pretty girl who stood before him. She had blond locks streaming well past her shoulders, like a golden waterfall sprouting from her head. She removed her sunglasses upon stepping into the house in black flats, examining the house with blue eyes, though they weren't nearly as intimidating as Artemis's. They were simply pretty. She had white skin, also not even in the same range as Artemis's abnormally pale hide. She wore a red dress that went just to her knees and a black shawl covering her shoulders. All in all she was very pretty, but Alex wondered how she would look against Ethryn. Not to mention this blond girl had the sort of beauty that was almost frightening to look at, like a forest fire. Her red lips just helped with that sort of imagery comparison. With an approving smile she replaced her sunglasses, for whatever reason.

Artemis allowed a smile, "Hello, Minerva. I trust your trip here was comfortable?"

"Artemis!" Minerva said, her French accent still very prominent. Alex had a feeling he wasn't ever going to get used to it, like he had Artemis's. Maybe it was because Artemis's was only slightly detectable while Minerva acted as if she wanted nothing more then to remind you of where she was from with every word she spoke. The girl took very quick steps forward, hugging Artemis rather tightly. It was nothing like the way Holly or Ethryn hugged him. It was almost . . . flirtatious?

_Only a pretty French girl could make a hug flirtatious_, Alex thought with a smirk. But whatever Minerva saw in Artemis, despite the teenager being very smart, he really couldn't see what she probably saw in him. Alex couldn't really determine if Artemis was attractive by girl standards and really didn't want to try. Alex was only mildly surprised to watch her kiss Artemis on both of his cheeks before holding him at arms length with a smile.

"How have you been faring, _mon __ami_?" She asked, then quickly waved a hand to disperse the question. "Ah, _jamais l'esprit, _never mind, I already know how you are doing, otherwise, I would not be here to assist you."

Artemis gave her his best vampire grin, which she immediately scowled at. His voice wreaked with sarcasm. "Yes, because it has always been _you_ saving _me_ then, has it? I seem to recall it was the other way around when I bargained for your freedom during that whole demon business."

Alex shot a look Holly's way for some type of explanation, but she had an oddly tight face. His brow rose in surprise at her reaction to this girl. But left without further information, he could only assume there was bad blood between these two. He bit back a smirk. This could get interesting, he decided, turning his attention back to the girl who had turned her attention to him in an attempt to change the subject.

She released Artemis, sizing him up. She couldn't have been older then Alex, most likely his age. That would make her a couple of years younger then Artemis. Just how long had Artemis known this girl, he wondered.

"Ah, and who is this?" She asked, approaching Alex with a calculating look. Alex then knew just where Holly got the impression of this rather flamboyant girl and the ever secluded Artemis being two of the same kind. Her formerly warm gaze had gone to cold and judgmental in about a split second. The change was almost alarming. Then she looked him in the eye and a smile that nearly rivaled Artemis's vampire one appeared on her blood red lips. "You must be Alex Rider, _le fauteur de troubles._"

"Now, now, Minerva," Artemis cut in, approaching to stand next to her. "Alex is no trouble-maker. If anyone is, it's Ethryn. Even now, I have no idea where she's run off to. She was supposed to be downstairs when you came in."

Alex wasn't sure if he should feel insulted for being called a trouble-maker but decided against it. He figure that, since both he and Minerva were going to be under the same roof for an undecided amount of time, he might as well try to get along with her.

Minerva seemed amused at the comment. "_Oh cher_, little Arty is having trouble keeping his cousin in line, eh?"

Artemis scowled at the nickname. Still laughing at her own joke, Minerva turned her attention to Holly. Her face turned abruptly uncomfortable, but she made an obvious effort to try and appear unfazed. "_Bonjour_, Holly. It's nice to see you again under . . . . better circumstances."

Holly allowed a smile that didn't seem all to pleased, "Much, actually. I always prefer to be out of basements and unchained, if I can."

Saving them all from a potentially awkward situation, Butler entered the house carrying five different and rather large suitcases. He seemed to have no trouble with them whatsoever, placing them down on the floor. "You've packed quite a lot, Minerva."

She smiled, "One prepares for anything on a trip like this, Butler. Someone such as yourself understands that well, I'm sure."

Before Butler could reply the stair creaked, capturing everyone's attention at once. Artemis seemed displeased, crossing his arms. His lips were pressed in a tight line as he looked to the top of the staircase, like everyone else. Holly smirked, for an unknown reason, looking to watch Minerva's reaction. Alex couldn't help himself and smiled warmly.

"Sorry," She said apologized at once, descending the staircase sheepishly. And, much to Artemis's favor, shiny black flats covered her feet. They clicked on the stairs as she headed towards them, as graceful as ever. She seemed to be particularly careful for whatever reason. "I didn't mean to be late, Artemis."

"_This_ is your cousin, Artemis?" Minerva interrupted, removing her sunglasses once again. Alex tore his eyes away from the adorably shy Ethryn to the girl who seemed to be analyzing every move she made. Her face was even harsher then when she had looked over Alex, as if searching for a flaw.

Artemis nodded, though nobody was paying any attention to him. "Yes, here she is. You are forgiven for being late, Ethryn. Just try not to make a habit of it. It tends to make a bad impression in most business ventures and is considered very rude in most social activities."

"Mm," Minerva said thoughtfully, her lips pressing together. Then she let out a half smile, as if disapproving. "She's quite the looker, Artemis. A regular beauty walking. You won't find someone as angelic as this every day, though, I'm sure you already knew that."

Ethryn, reaching the bottom of the staircase, smiled at her graciously with a slight blush darkening her cheeks. "Thank you, Miss Paradizo."

She scoffed, "Please, _cher_, call me Minerva. Miss Paradizo is the name my business partners and employees call me."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Minerva." Ethryn corrected with a beaming smile.

At this new display of beauty Minerva, too, brightened. Though Alex could not tell if she was genuinely pleased. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ethryn. I expect to be seeing a lot of you from now until this is all over."

Butler, who had disappeared unknowingly, now returned with even more bags. "I'll move these up to your room now, Minerva."

"And I'll show you where that will be," Artemis added, holding out his arm graciously.

Minerva seemed pleased and took it at once. "That would be _tres parfait_ Artemis."

Artemis nodded his head graciously at began to escort her upstairs. When they were safely out of earshot, Alex immediately looked to Holly.

"Any particularly reason she seems to have a thing for Artemis?" He asked, his brow up. "I mean, no offense to the guy, but he seems kind of cold to have girls hanging all over him. Well, actually, he does have the money for it."

Holly smirked at him. Then she turned to the stairs where they had disappeared. "Actually, Minerva was one of the first girls to spark Artemis's hormones. At the worst of times, mind you, but he ended up saving her life with a cunning little trade off. He was actually pretty irritated with himself, but even Artemis Fowl can't outwit the body's natural changes."

"One of the first girls?" Ethryn asked, catching the sentence. "Who were the other girls?"

Holly just laughed.

"Holly!" Ethryn huffed, crossing her arms. She seemed to understand Holly was purposefully not telling her anything else just to annoy her and that she was going to get no further information about the subject. So she changed it. "So, she seems rather . . . off."

"My bet she's jealous you hang out with Artemis more, and you're prettier then she is." Alex said carelessly. It wasn't until he turned his head back to look at the two of them that he saw Ethryn giving him a questioning look and Holly smiling a little. "What?"

Holly just shook her head. "Nothing. But you should be careful, Ethryn. Minerva, I'm sure, knows you and Artemis don't have anything but platonic affection for each other, but she can be manipulative. It's what gets her into trouble. She might decide to start playing match-maker while she's here."

Ethryn turned her confused gaze to Holly. "What do you mean?"

"You know," Holly said, with a snort. "She might start trying to set you up with someone."

Alex swallowed hard, careful to keep any emotion off of his face. Was that what Minerva was eying him up for, then? To make sure he was good enough? No, he reassured himself, she was probably just doing what anyone else would do when meeting someone for the first time, try to get a feel of them. He really hoped to keep himself out of any plan of Minerva's, especially if it had anything to do with Ethryn. He was having enough problems with her as it was. He definitely didn't need some French genius meddling with his love-life.

"I just hope I don't have to see Artemis's flirtatious side," Ethryn joked. "I'm sure that's a mess. A creepy mess, too."

Holly shook her head, "Actually, Artemis doesn't like Minerva like that. He made it pretty clear to her a while ago, but she's got the impression that no one else is smart enough for her. I'm not sure about what she thinks of his looks, Alex, but I think her affection mainly comes from when he played hero with her."

"Well what about you, Holly?" Ethryn asked, almost too innocently. "Artemis has saved you a few times, hasn't he? Does that mean you like him, too?"

Alex's eyes widened at her blatant and undisguised questioning of the relationship between Artemis and Holly. He'd always suspected something but they were two different species, not that it wasn't possible thought. Alex had no real grasp on what was capable between a Fairy and a Human, and he really didn't want to know, either. For all he knew the two of them could already have something secret going on.

Again, he had no desire to know.

Holly placed her hands on her hips in a very headstrong manner with a smirk. "I think any time Artemis saved me, I've more then made it up by saving him back. I lost count of whose turn it is to save who next."

The watched her stroll out of the room, following Artemis and Minerva up the stairs. Butler entered the house to see Alex looking rather bewildered and Ethryn with her hand on her chin in careful thought, with a small smile.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

Alex seemed to snap out of it and shook his head while Ethryn laughed at him. Butler looked back and forth between the two before smiling a little and deciding not to further press the subject. He had a feeling he already knew, anyways.

* * *

Minerva acted as if she had always been around the house, showing no discomfort. As soon as she had settled into her room and refreshed herself she had Artemis escort her around the Manor, so as to ensure she would not get lost. Even Alex had to admit he still got lost every now and again when he wasn't paying attention.

Soon after her initial introduction to the house she started studying Ethryn. She asked very detailed questions the Fairy People had asked her about her home life, her characteristics, and the average psychological attributes Angels had. Artemis warned her to be careful in her study and not to upset Ethryn, otherwise he'd have her sent home immediately. He would have no disrespect to Ethryn, especially when she had just recently confessed to hiding the damage done by Tristan. Artemis would be keeping a better eye on her. To be honest, the boy genius was a bit thrown about not having picked up on her discomfort sooner. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

Alex was surprised when Artemis had asked to speak with him, when Minerva was speaking to Ethryn in another session. Ethryn didn't seem to mind at all about Minerva's interests in where she came from. In fact she seemed all too happy to share with her some of her homeland.

At first, Alex had been on guard. Especially when Artemis shut the door to the study behind him.

"I wanted to speak with you about your job, Alex." Artemis began, getting to the point immediately.

Alex had expected no less. "What about it?"

Artemis gestured to a chair across from the one he stood next to, sitting down. "Please, sit." Alex did, warily. "Of course, your job is a very secretive one. Working for any intelligence agency requires a aura of mystery to you, as a safety precaution. Knowing this, I have chosen not to tell Minerva about who you work for. Because of this, she immediately wants the information I have withheld from her. I have come up with a story for you while I gave her free reign to Ethryn as a distraction."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise at the cunning that had fooled even him. It had seem to normal for Artemis to give Minerva access to the reason she was here. He had never thought anything else of it. This boy really was smarter then he got initial credit for.

"Thank you," Alex said eventually. "I appreciate it."

Artemis, surprisingly, allowed him a small smile. "Of course. Now, to the story. I kept to the basics. You were incarcerated with Ethryn only because of a 'wrong place at the wrong time' situation. You were on a simple walk of the neighborhood when you happened to observe suspicious activity and, being a bit more bold then the average citizen, decided to take a look and saw Ethryn's kidnapping. You ended up being kidnapped as well because of your snooping and ended up becoming friends while incarcerated. You then proceeded to help each other escape and the rest of the story remains the same. Only the means of getting there. Do you have that?"

Alex nodded, "Got kidnapped snooping. Got it."

The teenage genius seemed pleased. "Very good. That is all."

"Cool," Alex stood and began heading towards the door.

"Oh, Alex, one more thing."

He stopped and turned to look at him. "Yeah, Artemis?"

Artemis kept his hands neatly folded in his lap, looking at Alex levelly. He seemed to examine the boy a moment before allowing him a slight sense of appreciation. "I just wanted to thank you for what you've done for Ethryn, Alex. You're a good man."

Alex blinked in surprise a few times before smiling back at Artemis. "You're welcome. I'm happy to help in any way I can, especially after you've opened up your home to me. And Ethryn is my friend, I'd do anything for her."

"I appreciate that," Artemis replied. "And, a fair warning, I would stay away from Minerva while she's here. She tends to stir trouble where trouble need not be."

"I was planning on avoiding her," Alex admitted. "She just seemed the type, no offense to your friend."

"None taken, of course." He replied, with a careless wave of the hand. "Good luck, Alex. I'll be watching out for you, then. And I hope you'll be on your best behavior with my guest on the prowl."

"Count on it," Alex assured him.

* * *

You can also count on some trouble stirring between Minerva and Ethryn. And Ethryn and Alex.

Always fun to work with angsty teenagers.

Until the next chapter!


	12. Metamorphosis

And, cue Minerva's troublesome persistence. Tempers flare!

Enjoy.

**SUPER IMPORTANT RESPONSE TO COMMENT:**

**Ethryn's name is pronounced Eh-Thrin  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
"Metamorphosis"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Ethryn, finishing her session with Minerva, suddenly remembered the phone she had yet to return to Artemis. She quickly excused herself from Minerva's presence and hurried towards her room. She opened the door and was relieved to find the phone still on her bed, where she had left it. Ethryn snatched it up at once, fearing the worst when she saw the screen.

**One Missed Call: Colleen Harrison.**

Ethryn's eyes widened in surprise and she flipped the phone open, confirming that she had not read the screen wrong. Was that possible, then? They hadn't found any real evidence that Colleen was, in fact dead. Her heart filled with hope at once and she hit redial.

It rang only twice before it was answered. "_Artemis_?"

"No, who is this?" Ethryn replied, in surprise.

"_Ethryn? What are you doing on Artemis's phone_?" The replying voice asked, alarmed. Then their mood quickly changed to one of relief. "_Oh, never mind. Thank Heavens you're alright. You aren't hurt, are you? Oh, Ethryn, as soon as I remembered what happened I was so worried about-!_"

"Wait, slow down." Ethryn interrupted. "Are you okay? Artemis told me you had disappeared from the house, that you were dead."

"_I've been in the hospital, in a coma. I don't know how I got there but as soon as I was able to check out, I've been trying to get a hold of Artemis to make sure you were alright. I'm glad you are, what happened?_"

"Uh, it's sort of a long story," Ethryn admitted. "Just . . . hold on a second, Colleen. I need to go get Artemis."

Ethryn was feeling light-headed as she raced down the stairs, holding the phone against her collarbone.

She attracted attention.

"Ethryn?" Alex said, just exiting the study doors. "What's wrong? You look freaked."

"Is Artemis in there?" She countered. "The phone is for him."

Alex, giving her a worried look, nodded. "Yeah."

He held the door open for her and she entered. Artemis looked to her, having formerly been staring off in thought. His face immediately matched the concern on Alex's face and he leaned forward. "What is it, Ethryn?"

Ethryn held the phone out to him, "It's Colleen."

* * *

Alex and Ethryn were immediately kicked out of the room. Ethryn seemed to be in some sort of stupor. Alex was beginning to worry as they sat outside the door, like two people in a waiting room. He had yet to take his eyes off of her.

Finally he touched her arm, "Whose Colleen?"

Ethryn looked up at the wall. "She's the woman whose legally in charge of me. She was at the house when I was kidnapped, but when Artemis came to visit, nobody was there. It was assumed she was dead. I thought my friend was dead."

"But, she's not then, right?" Alex asked, warily. "That's good news, isn't it?"

She bit her lip, seeming unsure. "I . . . think so. I don't know." Ethryn leaned her head against the wall. "I have got to hand it to Artemis. He deals with more trouble daily then I thought he did."

Alex gave her a reassuring look. "It'll work out. Artemis is obviously smart, I'm sure he'll handle everything."

Ethryn looked down ashamed at her lap. She spoke quietly. "_I'm more trouble then I'm worth_."

At once, Alex shook his head. "Hey, don't talk like that. This is _good_ news. Your friend is alive and now you don't have to worry about explaining to everyone what happened to Colleen while you were sick. Everything is going to work out fine, you'll see."

She sighed and leaned her head on Alex's shoulder. "I hope so."

"Ah, _comment__ inattendue, _how unexpected!"_  
_

Ethryn looked up, as did Alex (though he was immediately on edge, unlike his companion) to see Minerva looking down at them in some sort of smug surprise. Alex's eyes narrowed suspiciously and Ethryn sat up, removing her head from Alex's shoulder.

"What is it, Minerva?" Ethryn asked in her innocence to the situation.

Minerva giggled, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh, pardon me, Ethryn. I was simply caught of guard. Artemis told me you two were close but did not tell me you two were in a relationship. I apologize for seeming so surprised. Its very rude of me, and I was raised better then that."

"Together?" Both of them said in unison, stunned. They glanced at one another before looking quickly away.

The ingenious French girl sighed in some sort of content admiration. "Young love. You seem to be quite the couple, especially after this boy tried to save you without knowing who you were. A perfect foundation for romance to blossom."

_You **would** think that_, Alex thought bitterly, recalling Artemis's words from before.

Ethryn's eyes scrunched up in confusion before widening, and she sat up. "Oh! No, Minerva, we're just close friends."

She smiled, obviously holding back another giggle. "Of course."

Alex rolled his eyes. Minerva's eyes immediately narrowed, quickly pinpointing him. Her face contorted into an unfriendly and intimidating scowl, which Alex ignored. It wasn't until Ethryn spoke he decided to pay attention.

"What are you looking so unhappy about?" The angel demanded. She didn't seem pleased either.

Minerva crossed her arms. "I was unaware a guest of Artemis's was so sensitive and rude about anothers innocent statement."

Alex turned his full attention to her. "I didn't say anything."

"You rolled your eyes," She countered, her arms tightening across her chest in obvious irritation. Another big difference between Artemis and Minerva, Alex realized, was that she wore her emotions on her sleeve while you could barely get any reaction out of Artemis. "I'd appreciate it if you apologized."

"For what?" Alex demanded. Then he cleared his throat, controlling his anger. He was not going to fight in someone else's house, especially with a girl. That was disrespectful and he knew better. "Minerva, I'm sorry to have insulted you. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't make jokes at my expense."

She huffed, "I didn't know you were so sensitive, Alex. I assumed someone who was willing to play hero for a peer would have tougher skin."

Alex glared at her. "Well, now you know. So please refrain from doing so in the future."

Minerva turned her head in the opposite direction, away from them. She appeared to be pouting now. "Fine." She turned her heal on them, quickly heading away from them. With a last jibe though, she muttered loudly, "Some hero you are."

Choosing to ignore it, Alex looked away, once again rolling his eyes at her lack of maturity. Were all geniuses naturally ignorant of their own flaws? Artemis seemed to be better at it then her, but he had his moments. Through this thought process, he did not notice Ethryn silently stand. It appeared her grace also had tactical advantages, as Minerva had barely gotten a few feet before her arm was gripped. The female whirled around quickly to come face to face with a now seething Ethryn.

She quickly jerked her arm away. "What do you want?"

Ethryn pointed to Alex, who was staring at Ethryn from behind. From experience he learned the body language of someone who was not in a very good mood, ready to murder, and even when they were plotting one. Ethryn seemed to be somewhere between "not in a good mood" and "ready to murder". He jumped to his feet at once, looking between Ethryn and Minerva, who was also sharing eyes with him. She seemed disgusted, for whatever reason, before eventually turning her attention back to Ethryn.

"Apologize to my friend," She ordered, in a tone Alex hadn't heard her use before. It was very threatening.

Minerva, however smart she apparently was, also apparently didn't have the common sense to know when shut her mouth. Instead she gave Ethryn a disbelieving look. "For what? I simply stated a fact."

"It was rude, and you know it." Ethryn replied back in a venomous tone. Alex's blood began to run cold as her hand slowly started to curl into a fist. "Now say you're sorry you idiotic hypocrite!"

The blond beauty's head jerked back at the insult before her hands placed themselves on her hips and she glared back defiantly at Ethryn. "Just who do you think you are, _cheri_? You've no right to say such things to me!"

"And you had no right to insult Alex!" She retorted, shouting. "Now apologize!"

Minerva turned away, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "I don't have to listen to this!"

Alex was suddenly aware that if he didn't act now, Minerva would be facing the consequences. Even if she deserved it, and though he wasn't entirely informed of what Ethryn was capable of, he'd seen her take down a grown man with the single jerk of a knee and throw a knife with uncanny precision at an intruder with a split-second decision. He doubted Minerva would really stand a chance, and he wasn't that kind of person.

He'd just been about to grab her, his hand hovering about her shoulder.

Three things happened at the same time. The first was the wooden door opened, to reveal (had anyone been looking), Artemis about to inform them of what had happened. However, he was immediately aware of something was wrong and looked to the three of them. The second was Alex's hand being injured as Ethryn's wings flew from her back, smacking his hand away unintentionally.

The third was Minerva, turning around, and screaming.

"Ethryn!" Artemis shouted.

Butler had rounded the corner with Holly, both with their weapons drawn. Alex, who had recoiled his hand out of instinct, now gripped Ethryn's arm with his other. She rounded on him and he fell to the floor at the sudden change in positioning. Minerva stared in horror at the frightening and glorious sight of Ethryn with her wings sheathed. The genius French girl hadn't quite gotten around to asking her about them yet, and now seeing them in the mists of a fight about to break out was beyond terrifying. Butler, of course, with his ability to read a dangerous situation at a glance, quickly shoved the girl behind him and readied his aim at Ethryn. Holly hesitantly did the same, ordering Minerva to stay still. She really hadn't expected any better from the annoying foreigner.

Alex hit the ground on his side, and, still unable to really feel his right hand, held himself upright with only one hand. He stared up at her with unexplainable ease, though, meeting her eyes in all seriousness. Artemis, for once, had no idea what to do, and continued to analyze. Minerva, for the moment anyways, seemed to be safe now. It was just Alex and Ethryn's next actions that would determine how this situation ended.

So much was running through Ethryn's head. All she knew though was that this sensation of chaos within herself was unfamiliar and, frankly, frightening. Her muscles couldn't move now that she'd stopped, but they were prepared to. As she looked down at Alex's patient face that seemed to be willing to wait forever until she was at peace again, her body began to go numb. Her eyes fluttered a moment and had she been fully aware she might have tensed as Alex jumped to his feet in that split second. Her eyes closed, and she only felt someone grab hold of her arms before drifting off into blissful unconsciousness.

Alex fixed his position of holding onto the now "sleeping" Ethryn, picking her up under her legs and back easily enough. He fixed his grip carefully around her unsheathed wings. He turned to Artemis, who was approaching quickly. The teenager took Ethryn's hand in his, flipping it over to reveal her wrist and placing two fingers on it. She was unnaturally pale, Alex noticed, with a queasy feeling stirring in his stomach. After a moment Artemis nodded.

"She's still got a normal heartbeat," but as he said this, he still did not seem pleased. "But she's unnaturally warm. I believe she has a fever, but cannot be positive. We'll have to take her to her room and call Foaly. She might be sick."

"Angel's can get sick?" Holly demanded, walking up with Butler and an unsteady Minerva.

"It appears so," He replied. Then his full attention was on giving Minerva a death glare that the girl shied away from. "You and I will talk later about your reckless actions. Honestly, Minerva, and you wonder why I refused your advances."

This appeared to be a low blow. She stood, transfixed and stunned as her face turned a bright red. Whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or both, no one could tell, but she turned abruptly and darted from the room.

Artemis didn't seem all to concerned. He turned back to Alex, "Please, follow me. And quickly now, we need to find out what's wrong as soon as possible."

Alex followed quickly, noticing also just how unnaturally warm she was in his arms. Her face was starting to resemble Artemis's the longer they walked, and Alex was starting to panic when they finally reached her room. Holly hurried ahead and pulled the top comforter away from the bed, allowing Alex to set her on it. He did this carefully, but quickly. Her hair swept across her face and he quickly moved it away, tucking it behind her ear. Holly threw the one blanket back on top of her before replacing Artemis at where he'd formerly been on the computer, typing in some pass codes in a language and writing he'd never seen before.

"Gnomish," Artemis said, without looking at him. Alex, though, was not surprised.

For once, the teenage spy could do nothing but stand there helplessly (though, of course, he did not show it) as his companions hurried and did other things. Butler had just entered the room with some types of machines, and Artemis began hooking them up to Ethryn. Alex, at first, was curious, but as soon as Artemis slipped the shoulder of her dress off on her left side he quickly averted his eyes out of respect for her friend. Shortly after he heard the slightly annoying but comforting beep of the machine that read Ethryn's heartbeat. He looked back to where she was to see the blanket now tucked up on that side to cover her up. Alex leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching what Holly was doing and trying not to pay attention to his ill friend.

Just what had happened to her?

Suddenly Holly said, "We've got a centaur."

"That you do, Holly," A voice said in perfect clarity over the TV. Alex glanced up, his face set in an uncharacteristically hard expression. Somehow, the sight of yet another mythical creature did not even mildly throw him. He was starting to get used to this, shockingly. The creature (centaur) then stared at where Ethryn lay asleep. "Hey! What'd you do to our little angel?"

"She had a bit of a temper tantrum," Holly began. "And then she just kind of zonked out."

"That sums it up," Artemis admitted. Then he glanced at where Alex was watching Ethryn with a hard expression. "Alex, what's wrong with your hand?"

Alex felt the eyes of this Foaly on him but he ignored it, glancing down at his hand that he had forgotten about. It was hanging limp over his arm, and he uncrossed them to hold it in front of his face and examine it. He tried to flex his fingers and was surprised at the pressure he felt when doing so. Alex's eyes widened as he continued to open and close his hand with an unnatural effort.

Suddenly, Artemis was in front of him, and he snatched his wrist carefully and began to flip it back and forth.

"If he can move his fingers, it's not broken," Foaly pointed out, seeming uneasy as he looked at Alex, who finally met his eyes with an unintentionally harsh glare. "So, whose the kid?"

"Alex Rider," Artemis introduced for him, not glancing up from Alex's hand. He then pushed Alex's sleeve up a bit and moved his hand underneath Alex's wrist. He smirked, "Just as I thought. It's the wrist, not the hand itself."

"Great, Mud Boy," Foaly said with an eye roll. "Now, why, exactly, is Holly unshielded around this kid? You should know better by now then to-!"

"I didn't, Ethryn did. And I'll explain the legality of it later." Artemis insisted. "Right now, Alex, you need to put this on ice. Ethryn must have hit you harder then I thought. I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you, though."

"I know," Alex replied, his voice matching his face.

Artemis peered closely at his expression before releasing the boy's limb back to him. "Butler, would you mind getting Alex an ice-pack for his wrist?"

The man servant nodded before quickly leaving the room.

Alex continued to stare down Foaly, who finally spoke directly to him. "Well, nice to meet you, Alex."

Politely, Alex inclined his head in turn and then looked back towards where Ethryn was. "So, anyone have any idea what's wrong with her?"

"I have a theory," Foaly said, at once. Alex was surprised. The centaur had barely got the basics of a situation yet he already thought he knew what had happened? _Geniuses_, he thought bitterly. "Ethryn is, admittedly, a few years above the average human age limit but most likely just around the Angel one."

"Meaning?" Artemis pressed.

Foaly grinned unnaturally. "Meaning, because of the escalated emotional outburst that is obviously unlike Ethryn's usual happy-go-lucky attitude, I believe that Ethryn has just hit-."

"Do _not_ say it!" Holly shouted, covering her ears childishly.

Artemis's brow rose as he watched her, "Please continue. I don't fully understand your meaning."

"I believe-."

Holly glared at them both, "Foaly-!"

"-that Ethryn has just hit-"

"FOALY!"

"Puberty," He finished, giving Holly a look. "Honestly, Holly. You're old enough to act maturely about this!"

Alex flinched at the word though, making a face. It went unnoticed and he quickly controlled his emotions. Instead he said sarcastically, "A bit drastic of a reaction to a hormonal change, don't you think?"

Foaly cleared his throat, putting on his best superior face. "For humans? Yes, it's rather unlikely for growing children to pass out* but in Ethryn's case, she isn't human. From what I've gathered on my studies, Angel's are a species without very much stress. Our chaotic world is throwing her hormonal change, which is normally pretty smooth from what she's told me with rarely any problems, into something much more difficult then it needs to be."

"What do we need to do then?" Holly demanded, just as Butler reentered the room with the ice requested.

Artemis answered for him, his expression grave. "She's going to have to find some method of coping with this stress or this is only going to get worse."

* * *

*Unfortunately, but coincidentally, I just happen to be one of the few hand-fulls of teenagers that functions cannot keep up with the growth of their body and pass out with exercise, otherwise I never would've been able to have Foaly know about that information. So, it's useful, I guess.

Aha, and only more problems shall ensue with our little angel. Honestly, I don't know if she'll wake up the next chapter. You'll have to see how things go.

Yet, sadly, MINERVA IS FINE. :(

Yes, I know what you're all thinking. Ethryn's in a coma for defending her friend, and Minerva is scot-free for starting the fight in the first place? That is how things seem to go with our favorite (and only) French genius. Here's to Alex for being the hero though and staying calm!

Till next time, loves.


	13. In Dreams We Wake

I'm currently trying to figure out how Word Count works on facfiction.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13  
"In Dreams We Wake"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor  
**

Ethryn was still out cold and showing no signs of regaining consciousness.

Of course, it had only been about an hour, Alex reasoned with himself. You couldn't expect much from an hour or so.

"Alex?"

He glanced up to see a rather nervous looking Minerva in the doorway. Alex immediately felt on the defensive and the dulled anger flared in him once more. For a moment he felt nothing but blame as he glared at her from across the room, having situated himself on the window seat.

"Yes?" His voice sent a sharp slash up Minerva's spine. She shivered a little, looking up from the floor to meet his eyes.

Alex felt his anger die in him. Since the moment Alex had laid eyes on her Minerva hadn't shown any sign of remorse, to anything she did. But now, true regret shone dominant in her eyes as her gaze flicked from Ethryn, to him, to his damaged hand, and back again. Alex glanced down at his hand as well, fondling it. Artemis had told him it was just some nasty bruising and the swelling should die down soon but it was nothing to worry about. That didn't seem to help with the guilt factor she seemed to be feeling, though.

It seemed the talk Artemis had promised her had happened.

"Alex, I'm sorry," she began, the true remorse flooding into her voice. "I didn't mean . . . I didn't think that this would . . ."

His face softened a little. He simply shook his head, "It's not really me you should be apologizing to, Minerva. It's her." Alex jerked his chin to where Ethryn still lay sleeping on her back, unmoving, but not quite as pale anymore. The color was slowly returning to her face and her lustrous wings shimmering from the sunlight that peaked through the window. Then, after gazing at her peaceful and blank expression he looked back to Minerva. "But thank you."

She smiled weakly, walking into the room and standing next to her bed. Minerva was silent for a moment before sighing and looking down at the floor. "I was not rational, Alex. I let my jealousy get the better of me."

Alex's brow rose. "What do you mean?"

Minerva laughed bitterly, smirking at him without any real smugness. "_Cheri_, as smart a girl as I am, it appears I can still be petty. When I saw how pretty Ethryn was, and, beg my pardon at another comment on your relationship, but how you looked at her, I was envious. Artemis had once looked at me liked that. She was just so beautiful, I could only bite back my true dislike of her looks. I tried to distract myself with my research, but seeing you comfort her in the hallway was . . . far too much, Alex. I let my jealousy get the better of me. I reacted spitefully and cruelly when so such enmities towards you were deserved. I promise, you, Alex, you'll never hear harassment from me again. I can't express into words how ashamed of myself I am."

Alex could hear, feel, and see the sincerity in her eyes. He offered her a smile. "It's alright, Minerva. Honestly, I figured as much."

She laughed weakly. Then glanced down at him again. "How's your hand?"

Alex looked at his hand, the ice bag firmly held on it and his wrist. "It's my wrist, actually. But it's feeling better. It just aches."

Minerva smiled, but her expression turned to one of genuine curiosity then. "In all seriousness though, Alex. How do you feel about Artemis's young cousin?"

He blushed madly, contemplating. "I guess . . . I really care about her, Minerva. I don't know, it's hard to explain."

She nodded, not pushing the matter. She then stood, brushing her skirt off, though nothing could have gotten on it. "I understand. Thank you for forgiving me, Alex. It will be my priority to apologize to Ethryn as soon as she wakes. In the meantime, Artemis wanted me to inform you that the nanny, Colleen Harrison, is coming tomorrow morning. We'll have to figure out a way to retract Ethryn's wings though, as she is unaware of the reality of what she works with. But simply be prepared for an ignorant face hanging around."

Alex nodded, looking back to where his friend slept. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Of course." Minerva's smile turned to one of concern. "You should get some rest, Alex. I'm sure she'll be fine."

He just shrugged and headed towards the window seat, sitting down and staring out the window. Minerva sighed and turned, leaving the room and him to his thoughts. She'd keep her promise to him and would behave properly from now on.

Ethryn, meanwhile, was coming in and out of consciousness. She'd vaguely heard some sort of male voice, continuously speaking to her. Occasionally she would break into consciousness and feel someone touching her arm with their hand. Sometimes Ethryn heard that voice say something about forgiving her for an injury she caused, but her lucidity didn't last long enough for her to try and figure out what had happened.

But sometimes she'd imagine the blond hair and white skin tone that went with that face and her body would flood with some sort of content feeling. She imagined her lips twitching into a smile but then her head would hurt then and she'd forgot how to.

Finally, though, she broke surface, and her body ran cold, making her shiver violently. With her shiver she regained the feeling in her body, from head to toe, and her eyes flew open. She wished they hadn't though, as everything hurt and was fuzzy. She groaned, retracting her wings that were still out for whatever reason and allowed herself to lay on the comfortable pillows, burying her head under the blanket.

Unbeknown to her, Alex noticed this at once and turned to her, heading silently to side of the bed and kneeling. When she groaned again his lips twitched up into a smile and he gently pulled the covers down. Her blue eyes flicked up to him and she stared in some sort of stupor at how clear his face was in contrast to his surroundings. Alex, oblivious to her staring, laughed at her strange expression.

"Feeling better?" He asked, careful to keep his injured hand out of view.

She frowned a little, "Things are a bit fuzzy. Except you."

"Probably because I'm so close," he amended, concerned anyways. "I'll go get Artemis."

"No, wait!" She insisted, grabbing at his wrist. When Alex stood to move, he'd turned and now she'd grabbed his hidden arm.

Alex hissed in pain at the vice-like grip of fear and she immediately released him, stunned. Yet, she also noticed that his surroundings were starting to clear up. Her eyes focused on his ice-packed wrist and she stared in confusion, racking her brain. Then the image of him on the floor, cradling that very wrist filled her vision and she gasped in horror.

"I did that." Her voice was breathless.

Alex's eyes shot up to her at once, "It was an accident, Ethryn. It's alright. I'm fine."

"Fine?" She demanded, pushing the covers away from her face. The light wasn't so bad anymore. "You're wrist is-!" She sat up in her irritation with herself, regretting it instantly. Her head fell back onto the pillows as Ethryn clutched her head. "Ugh, my head."

He knelt back beside her, "Does it hurt?"

"Something similar to vertigo," She replied, looking at Alex again. Her insides felt strange, not quite as jolly. Looking at Alex made her feel . . . odd. Something was off about her. She quickly shook it off and blamed it on the headache. "Are you okay, Alex? Really?"

Looking her straight in the eye, he nodded. "I've had worse. Honestly, I didn't even notice it, Artemis did. He says I'll be fine by tomorrow, probably."

"Probably," she muttered, massaging her brain. "What happened?"

Alex was suddenly blushing, much to her surprise. Her face scrunched up just a bit (careful not to hurt her head anymore) in her slightly baffled state. "Uh, maybe Foaly should explain. I'll go get Artemis."

"No," Ethryn said again, shaking her head in a panicked state. "Wait, I don't want to be alone."

Alex's brows rose but he didn't say anything. Instead he sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand and squeezing it once before letting it go. "Um, okay. Just hold on a second, then, okay?" He dug through his pockets until he found his phone, dialing Artemis's number. It felt weird to be calling him in the same house.

Ethryn listened to the very one-sided conversation.

"Hey, Artemis . . . no, she's fine. Awake, actually . . . Well, I was going to come get you, but," he glanced at her pleading and meek expression again. "She said she didn't want to be alone right now . . . I figured you or Foaly should explain." He laughed at Artemis's response, rubbing the back of his neck a little with the damaged hand. "Yeah, that's part of it . . . Hold on, let me ask." He put the phone down to look at her, "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Some water?" She suggested.

He nodded and put the phone back to his ear, "She said some water would be great . . . Yeah, her head just hurts . . . Okay, Artemis. See you in a minute." When Alex clicked the phone shut he found her staring at him with a calculating expression once again. "Something wrong?"

Ethryn smiled, eventually. "No. Just a bit off is all."

"Oh," He smiled back. "Colleen is apparently coming, by the way. Tomorrow morning."

"How long have I been out?"

"Mm, about a day, give or take. It's been almost 24 hours since you passed out, so, yeah." Alex shrugged. "So, just the headache?"

Ethryn waited until everything was as crystal clear as he was so she could answer truthfully. "Yeah. Just a little thirsty. How is everyone else?"

"Minerva," Alex saw at once she seemed uneasy, so he finished quickly, "Wants to apologize about her attitude. She confessed to me she was just a bit jealous of you, I guess. Kind of hard not to be, I guess."

She laughed at his joke, "Mm, I'm sure. Thanks for staying with me, Alex."

"Of course. Had to make sure my new best friends okay. And what would you have thought if you'd have woken up alone?"

Ethryn scowled, shivering at the thought of being curled up under the blanket, alone, waiting for someone to help her.

When Artemis came in, it was with the cavalry. Foaly appeared on the large television just as they entered.

Ethryn refused to have Alex leave her side, much to Alex's chagrin. She remained oblivious to it though, insisting she felt horrible about his hand and wanted the doctors to check it as well to make sure that she had positively not broken anything. Once again it was confirmed it was just nasty bruising and she became a bit easy. Minerva gave Ethryn a completely heartfelt apology, which Ethryn accepted gratefully, also apologizing for her reaction to the comments made. The three seemed to make up, to Artemis's approval.

Colleen arrived early the next morning, by which time Ethryn had been filled in on her now hormonal body. It made sense to Alex, actually, as he heard the explanation for a second time, actually paying attention this time. The innocence the Angel had displayed was that of a child, assumed to be a trait of her species. No one had really thought much into it, but it was obvious now. Her body had started to turn into a young woman before her mind had, and now that puberty had officially kicked in, her natural instincts would be honing in on someone who would naturally be a developed enough mate for her, both mentally and physically. A much better system then the ones humans had.

At first, the nanny had been a bit overbearing until she seemed to remind herself about her professional situation with the Fowls. But Colleen was now catering to Ethryn's every need, discussing with Artemis when she'd be taking her home.

But that was for Artemis to worry about. Right now, Alex was with Ethryn in the backyard, riding horseback with Holly. Actually, Holly was riding with Ethryn while Alex continued to make circles around their horse to bug them. Artemis was inside, attending to the details, but Ethryn now had a supervisor at all times to make sure nothing bad happened. Most times it was Alex but it occasionally varied between another person and Alex with another person.

"Aw, come on, girls," He teased. "Can't keep up?"

Ethryn's smile turned into a smirk. "I bet I could beat you in a race on foot."

He allowed himself to be arrogant, for the sport, though he was sure Ethryn could destroy him in a race. "You're on."

"I'll be the judge of that," Holly retorted, jumping easily off the horse, even though the drop was three times what Alex and Ethryn had. She kicked up her wings and flew out a ways, able to see them from her now towering height. Then the came the distant shout of, "Ready!"

They both gave her thumbs up, getting into the running position.

"Set!"

Alex glanced at Ethryn, surprised to see her already looking at him. He smiled before turning back to the task at hand. After a moment longer she too looked away from Alex, sincerely wondering how this race would end.

"GO!"

Both of them shot off. Alex had always been the fastest boy at his school, especially after the training he'd received from MI6. He'd kept himself in perfect shape, just in case anything from his past came back to haunt him. Alex wasn't all too worried about that but you never knew these days.

The two of them were so focused on simply running their hardest, they didn't know if they were winning or not. They were approaching Holly at a tremendously fast speed and would have laughed if it hadn't cost them the air. Finally Alex saw he'd reached Holly but overshot her, keeping at maximum speed in the short sprint until the end.

He panted heavily, looking up to see Ethryn doing the same next to him. Holly descended next to them, her metallic wings retracting as she smiled at the two and waited for them to catch their breath.

Finally, Alex managed out, "Who . . . won?"

She looked at them both, smirking, knowing the suspense was killing them.

"Hol_-ly_!" Ethryn whined breathlessly, stretching her name.

This got her to laugh, "It was a tie." They both glanced up at the other, meeting eyes before using up their gained oxygen to laugh. "That was some serious running though, you guys. I bet you could outrun almost anyone!"

"Definitely," Alex panted, using some of his energy to wink at Ethryn. She smiled back, blushing but looking away before he could notice. What was up with her lately, she wondered, shaking the discoloration of her cheeks.

"Ethryn!" Artemis's voice snapped, from a ways away. "Ethryn, where are you?"

The three of them shot each other nervous looks before Holly called, "We're over here!" to give them a few minutes more to catch their breaths. Artemis had ordered Ethryn, along with the rest of the LEP Medical Elves, to take it easy. A hardcore race was definitely not what she was supposed to be doing.

Just as they regained their air, Artemis appeared over the hill, looking stern. He crossed his arms, scanning the three of their faces quickly and stopped at his adopted cousin. Tomorrow his parents were coming back, along with his brothers. The LEP were clearing out today, which is why Holly was spending as much time with them as she could get in.

"What's wrong, Artemis?" Ethryn asked, racking her brain to try and remember what she did to make him so cross.

"You haven't forgotten to tell me something, have you?" He said, one perfectly trimmed brow rising. His eyes were black with irritation.

She thought a while before eventually shaking her head, "No, I don't think so."

"Oh really?" She nodded. "Are you so sure?"

"Positive, Artemis," she insisted fearfully. "Honest."

"Mm," then he smirked. "It seems in this mess Opal's made, you've forgotten something rather important."

"Like what?" Alex intervened, wondering what this was about. Holly was on the same page as him.

"Oh, I don't know," Artemis said casually before locking eyes with his cousin. "But it appears as though someone has forgotten their birthday is this week."

Ethryn's eyes widened, Alex's jaw dropped, and Holly said, "Oh yeah!"

Artemis smirked.

* * *

Alex was on the phone, after getting permission from Artemis to make sure this phone call would be alright. It answered after a few rings, just before the message machine would have gone on. The LEP had gone now, with Holly. But they'd be staying in constant contact about Ethryn's condition and Opal, so it wasn't like they wouldn't hear from each other in a while. The parting was on good terms.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jack. It's me," Alex said, cheerfully.

Immediately Jack was spouting out questions. "Alex? I've been worried about you! What's been going on? MI6 hasn't told me anything!"

"Relax, Jack," Alex soothed. "I'm fine. I'm just hiding out with a friend for a while until we get this mess cleared up, like I said before."

"Oh, yeah," She sounded begrudging now. "That was about the only thing they _did_ tell me, you're staying with someone named Artemis Fowl. I looked him up, Alex. He's not exactly a clean slate in the criminal activity."

"He's never been charged," Alex defended, teasingly. Her silence told him she wasn't convinced. "And he's a really good guy, once you get past the exterior. Plus his family is really nice too."

"Mm," A new tone had taken to Jack's voice that worried him. "That Ethryn Fowl _is_ a looker. MI6 did mention you saving her and all, like the hero you are."

Alex blushed a fervent red, "She's nice."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what you were thinking when you saw her."

"Jack!" He complained, frowning at her teasing.

She laughed, "Calm down, kid, your secrets safe with me. Sab called to confirm it, by the way, and see if you were back yet. She told me how you've got a little crush on this girl. I've got to say, Alex, you aim high."

He sighed, "It's complicated."

"I'm sure," Jack said, sympathetically. "So how are things going living in this guys mansion? Or, well, he's not too much older then you, is he, Alex?"

"Nineteen, I think," Alex replied. "But how are you fairing, Jack?"

"It's pretty boring without you here kiddo," she admitted. "No one to bother about doing their homework or their chores, no mess to clean up besides my own. When do you think you're coming back?"

Alex hesitated, wondering that himself. Eventually he admitted, "I'm not sure, actually. Nothing bad has happened for a while, but, well, nothing good has happened either. We're kind of in the middle right now, just waiting to see what happens."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

He changed the subject to a more tender one, "There was actually something I wanted to ask you, Jack."

"Really?" Jack was both suspicious and intrigued. "About what?"

"Well, Ethryn's birthday is coming up . . ."

* * *

I'll leave it on that note.

So yes, Ethryn woke up. I couldn't really find a reason for her NOT to be up and about.

And for all of you wondering just why Ethryn had such platonic affection for everyone, there it is: She hadn't hit puberty yet. THOSE feelings hadn't quite kicked in.

BUT NOW THEY ARE! And what future action shallt we see with an undercover spy, two geniuses, fairies, and a romance blooming between an agent and an angel? ONLY THE MOST AWESOME STORY EVER!

Later, loves.


	14. Birthday Wishes

Hoping to start up with a bang. And I know I'm skipping around, but I'm impatient.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 14  
"Birthday Wishes"**

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

The party was extravagant.

Alex was wearing a tuxedo, feeling extremely out of place. Though the entire party Artemis had introduced him to a few of his family members, and he would've gladly clung to anyone he was familiar with in the sea of beautiful, handsome, and deceptive faces. It was unnerving that there were this many (suspected) criminals in just one family line. But Artemis was off entertaining his guests and making sure the party ran smooth and Ethryn, now that he knew the whole story, was being introduced to some of the more curious.

He groaned inwardly, clutching the rectangular box in his pocket. Alex had been hoping to give Ethryn her give in private, but it appeared as though that wasn't going to happen.

"Having fun, Alex?" Minerva asked, coming up to stand next to him. She, at least, appeared completely at ease. In fact her own family was running around somewhere, apparently. He hoped that her appearance didn't mean she wanted to introduce him.

"Not particularly, but I've been to enough parties like this to stand it," he replied, stoically, hiding his insecurity easily.

She laughed, "I'd guessed as much. Any novice to situations such as this one would have crawled to their rooms long ago."

He nodded, hearing the band start up again. Artemis had selected the songs himself supposedly, but Ethryn had confessed to him she'd slipped in a few choices of her own. They were completely appropriate of course but still, it was _her_ birthday after all. Alex had laughed at that. Even now the memory brought a small smile to his face.

"Well, if you'll excuse me Alex," Minerva said as Artemis motioned her towards him with two fingers from across the floor. Alex nodded at her, glancing around the room. It was then he felt a small tap on his shoulder and turned.

Ethryn was beaming at him, seeming pleased at the party. Her smile brought one to his own lips. "Hey, Alex. Haven't seen you since the party began."

"Happy Birthday, again," he replied, then shrugged. "I've just been observing. It's not like I know anyone here."

She nodded, giggling. "Yeah, I guess. It's weird. So many people here are supposed to be related to me and I'm just now meeting them."

'"Completely weird," he agreed, teasing. "Are _you_ having fun?"

"Yeah," She agreed.

The song switched, to a more familiar beat. Alex looked at her accusingly, "You're choice?"

"Acoustic version," Ethryn explained, as the piano started.

Alex smiled, holding out his hand. "Want to dance?"

She glanced at his outstretched offering, then back at his face before smiling graciously and taking it. "Sure."

He led her out to the dance floor, where Artemis was with Minerva already. He shot Ethryn a suspicious look which she returned with a breathtaking smirk. A few of the invitees who were not related to Ethryn glanced her way, whether they were with dates or not. But Artemis, as unaffected by her as he had been since the day they'd met, glared, his suspicions confirmed by her smug attitude.

Alex laughed. "Awfully antagonistic to someone whose throwing you a birthday party."

Ethryn shrugged, placing her on hand on Alex's shoulder as he slipped his lightly around her waist. "Artemis needs to have some fun poked at him every once in a while. It's not healthy for him to be so wound up all the time."

"Maybe he's only wound up because you've been poking fun at him," Alex challenged playfully.

"Then it's something he needs to get used to," She retorted as she spun out, only to be pulled back in.

Alex smiled, "You've improved."

"I'm a quick learner," she replied.

The moment was suddenly a lot more tense as Ethryn gazed at him, curious at the strange intensity she felt stirring within her. Their gazes locked and Alex found himself unusually mesmerized by her beauty.

"You look really pretty, Ethryn," he said unexpectedly.

She blushed. Ethryn was wearing a dress, of course. Surprisingly though, it was not white. It was a deep red, nearly backless with strings holding the two back pieces together. Besides that it was strapless, cinching tightly around her waist to show off her perfect curves. The red material draped from there to the almost the floor with black heels that raised her to just a few inches below Alex's height.

"Thank you," She said, looking him over. "You look rather dashing yourself, Alex."

He smirked suggestively. "Miss Fowl, are you trying to flirt with me?"

Ethryn smirked back, "You wish, Alex."

"You've got me there," he admitted with only slight shyness.

She laughed, once, never breaking eye contact. "I'm glad you're here, Alex. Everyone else here keeps eying me up like I'm something to eat. It's getting on my nerves."

"Happy to be of service. And I can't really blame them, like I said, you look amazing." He said, pulling her closer slyly, so there bodies were brushing against each other as the song went on. He grinned at her chagrin. "So, what'd you want for you birthday?"

"Normalcy," She replied at once with a sour expression. Then she lowered her voice, though there really wasn't a chance of anyone listening in on their conversation. "I wish the LEP could just find Opal already so we could move on with our lives."

"Planning on staying in London?" He asked, curiously, trying to snuff out the hopefulness stirring in his chest.

Ethryn eyed him, "Probably. I love staying with Artemis but he tends to be very . . . protective. I don't get a lot of personal space here."

"I would imagine."

"Some birthday. Hiding out from some psychopath whose interests in me are based off my looks."

"Speaking of your birthday," Alex said, releasing one hand from her waist to reach into his pocket and pull out the box. Ethryn then realized that though she hadn't noticed it, Alex had managed to maneuver them into a more secluded area. People's eyes were focused on Minerva and Artemis anyway, who were gracefully dancing on the floor along with a dozen other couples. "I got you something. I know it's a little early for presents, but, oh well."

She stared, surprised. "Alex, you didn't-."

"I wanted to," He interrupted, holding the velvet box out to her. She hesitated. He laughed. "Come on, I didn't have Jack rush order this over here for you to decline my present. It won't bite, I promise."

At his joke she reluctantly took the case from him, removing the satin red ribbon and holding it in her hand as she peeled the case open. Alex waited with nervous anticipation, turmoil stirring inside of him. When her eyes widened fear hit him.

"Do you like it?" He blurted out, at once.

Ethryn removed the single white jewel, with angel wings on either side of it. She held it up, and when the light caught it, it sparkled. "Alex I . . . I love it. Thank you."

He held his hand out, "Need help putting it on?" She turned around, pushing her hair aside. He placed the chain around her neck, clipping it in the back. "There ya go. You're all set and ready."

She released her hair, touching the little jewel and smiling before turning back to him. "You're always surprising me, Alex."

"In the good way or the bad way?"

"The good way." She assured him.

Unnoticed from the staircase, Colleen scowled down at the couple that started dancing again. Somewhere inside her every fiber of her being went against hurting her employer but she was under the power of Opal's fairy magic. What could she do?

She descended quickly down the stairs, unnoticed, careful not to make an entrance.

Meanwhile, the song ended, and some people clapped for a reason Alex had never understood.

"Alex, may I have a word with you?" Artemis said, approaching behind him.

Ethryn, by now, had released Alex. "Is something wrong, Artemis?"

He smiled soothingly at his cousin but it only made her more suspicious. "Nothing whatsoever. Just a business venture I have for him."

Alex's brow rose, but he said, "Okay . . . ?"

"Good," Artemis motioned for him to follow, setting a brisk pace. "Come with me. I've got something for you."

Alex nodded politely at his former dance partner before following Artemis, leaving Ethryn staring after them in confusion. After a moment though she shook it off, so as to appear inconspicuous. It didn't take long before someone else was introducing themselves to her, but she only half paid attention (though they didn't seem to mind, as most of the time they were eying her up anyways), concerned about what Artemis was doing behind her back.

Colleen reached the bottom of the stairs, eyes only set for two people. Everyone else might as well not have been there at all. Of course she'd been ordered to dress up as well, wearing a black and simple dress. Ms. Harrison was in her late thirties and wasn't looking to catch anyone's eye. She weaved in and out of the crowds, well aware of the deadline Opal had mentioned, which was today. Glancing at the watch on her silver bracelet she knew she only had about half an hour, more or less.

"_Mademoiselle_," A voice rang out. "You look awfully focused for a birthday party."

Surprised, she turned to find the elegant looking Minerva standing next to her, eying her with calculation and holding her gaze in eyes that reminded her of Artemis's. Minerva was wearing a dark blue dress that accented her bust and clung around the waist with a satin bow. The dress draped to her knees, showing off perfected legs. Minerva really was growing up to be a pretty young lady. As she examined Colleen, she twisted a pearl necklace with polished, manicured nails.

"Especially," Minerva continued, "When the birthday girl is your employer. Aren't you at all happy for her? What has put you in such a mood?"

From the corner of her eyes, Colleen thought she glimpsed dirty blond hair but she couldn't be sure. If she looked Minerva would pressure her further, and this was priority. Colleen's body forced her to look inconspicuous and innocent. "I've been nervous lately, especially failing the Fowl family in protecting their young heiress from harm."

"Ah," The French beauty replied, in understanding as she nodded her head. Her eyes became slightly warmer with only that usual undercurrent of suspicion. "I understand. You are trying to make up for your mistakes, yes?"

"Yes," Ms. Harrison replied, with relief she didn't have to explain further. "I'm just keeping an eye out."

"Relax, _cheri_." Minerva urged, with a laugh. "The security here sight. No one is getting into this estate without an invitation."

Did Minerva notice the flicker of fear that passed through her eyes, Colleen wondered. She resisted a sigh of relief when Minerva turned her attention out to a crowd of people for a moment, giving Colleen time to compose herself fully. When Minerva's eyes went back to Colleen, she was all smiles.

"If you'll excuse me, _madame_," Minerva said politely. "I've got some people to meet. Please, _try_ to enjoy the celebration."

She nodded her false agreement as Minerva turned away, with a wave, disappearing into the crowd of people and becoming just another face that wasn't either of the two that she was looking for. Then she caught a glimpse of a red dress and heard a laugh and her attention was indulged completely to where Ethryn was, on the other side of the room. She immediately made off to where she stood, descending the last two stairs.

It was then she saw her much closer target, in the center of the room, playing with something on his wrist, glancing around the room. Colleen headed towards where he was at once, forming the plan in her head with every step.

"Having difficulty with something, Alex?" She asked, smiling warmly.

Alex looked up, smiling and showing her his wrist. "Just trying to get the time right on this thing."

This was too easy.

Colleen held her hand out for it, examining the toggles. The time was wrong. It was six hours behind. She pretended to be flustered, squinting at it. "Here, come outside with me. I can't see anything with this absurd lighting. It makes for a wonderful decoration but rather hard on old eyes." Alex shrugged, following her to the backyard patio where a few guests mingled about, chatting animatedly about nothing.

Ethryn, speaking with Angeline Fowl, noticed as he followed her outside. She blinked, "Excuse me, Aunt Angeline."

She took a few steps forward until Artemis suddenly appeared in front of her, "Ethryn, you need to come with me."

She hesitated, looking over his shoulder. But Alex was already outside, "Um, okay."

Artemis took her hand, leading her through the crowd. "I have to show you something."

Meanwhile, Alex followed Colleen out from the shadows of the roof, holding the watch up to the light, examining it. She began toggling with the buttons, pretending she knew what she was doing.

After a few minutes of this, Alex looked a bit uncomfortable. "It's alright if you can't fix it, Colleen. I'll just ask Artemis to do it later."

"No," Colleen insisted, with a wave of her hand. "I'm sure I can do it."

Alex wanted to argue, but out of politeness decided to wait a short while more, not quite sure what he'd say anyways. Colleen pretended to get more and more flustered with the watch, pacing a bit even, muttering under her breath.

"Colleen?" Alex asked, concerned and nervous. He held his hand out for his watch. "It's alright, really. I'll-."

She focused all her muscle, pulled her arm back and lashed out, pitching the watch like a major league baseball player would throw a 90mph ball. Alex stared in surprise at how far it landed before looking to Colleen. She, too, feigned shock at her unchanneled irritation.

"Oh, Alex," she breathed. "I'm so sorry I . . . let me go get it for you! I'll replace it if it's been broken."

And then she ran off into the forest, praying her plan would work.

"Colleen, wait!"

She smirked and ran harder, hearing his footsteps pound after her. Colleen ran until her legs ached and bled from the scratches the branches she hadn't been able to avoid had made. At the feeling of a particularly sharp slap, she looked down and stopped.

Alex caught up to her within a few seconds. Once he caught his breath he shoved his hands in his pockets, casually, trying to pretend the run hadn't made him so winded. "Hey, I think we overshot . . . oh."

He bent down into the leaves while Colleen examined her wounds, touching them gingerly to find they didn't hurt that much. They felt like small paper-cuts and she hissed at the annoying sting. When Alex approached her she saw his hair was now windblown and his pants powdered with dirt. Other then that he didn't look nearly as bad.

"Wow," he laughed, "You've quite an arm to throw it this far out."

Colleen stared at the watch, surprised as well. All the better though. She smiled sheepishly. "It's not damaged, is it?"

Alex turned it a few different ways before shaking his head, "Nah, just some dirt on it. No harm done. We should head back to the party." Then he glanced around, wondering how far in they were. He laughed as he fixed his watch back on. "I wonder what Artemis will think when he gets an eye full of us."

She smiled at him, hitting a button on her cell phone. Alex's head snapped up, looking at her in surprise by the sound it made.

"You won't have to worry about that, Alex," She assured him with a smirk. "They aren't going to see you again for a while."

Alex's eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, "What are you-?"

He cut off as the familiar whirling of a propeller sounded over head, making him stare up at the sky in instinct. Suddenly his feet flew out from under him with a sharp pain in his leg. It was then he remember Colleen was wearing heels. As he hit the floor he vaguely wondered how she'd run so quickly in them.

"An agent caught off guard," she sneered, very unlike herself. Then Alex watch in horror as her eyes started to roll back into her head and she passed out on the floor of leaves, looking like a murder victim in a horror film. Except she wasn't dead, Alex could tell, by the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

The helicopter was suddenly upon him. The last Alex heard was a peel of laughter and a device that look suspiciously like a modified tazer pointed at him by a masked man before something shot with a thud onto his chest followed by a strange exhilarating sting before he lost feeling in his body, slumping to the floor, but still conscious.

While Artemis explained, Ethryn glanced out the glass doors, an out of place, distant thudding filling her ears. Artemis followed her gaze, but without an Angel's hearing, he had no hope of hearing what Ethryn already could. Confusion muddled her eyes and glancing at Artemis, she motioned for him to follow as she slipped in between the crowd and out the door. Artemis, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, quickly motioned for Butler to follow.

As soon as the door opened, the sound of distant helicopter wings filled their ears. A ways into the forest the trees pushed back, undoubtedly where the aircraft was. Ethryn's eyes opened in shock.

"Artemis?" Her voice shook.

He didn't respond, scowling at the area in the woods. Butler's face also hardened and his hand slipped into his jacket pocket, pulling out his gun. Ethryn had her shoes off faster then should've been possible, racing across the open expanse that led into the dense undergrowth.

"Ethryn!" Artemis shouted after her.

She risked a glance over her shoulder to see both Artemis and Butler following her. Now knowing she had back-up, she raced on further, waiting anxiously to get under cover and out of view of her adopted relatives so she could pull her weapons out. She skidded to a halt in front of a jet black helicopter that had lifted off the ground, too high to attempt to board. Ethryn growled furiously, her hand lashing out. Within her pale hand her dagger, already retrieved from the wall in her home and returned by Artemis as a pre-birthday present, materialized in a familiar shimmer. She pulled her hand back, ready to whip out at the blades of the helicopter and send it tumbling to its demise.

"Wait!" Butler insisted darkly, gripping her arm. "Look."

She did and stared in horror.

From the open doors of the helicopter, Ethryn finally saw the rustled blond hair of someone familiar. Her eyes narrowed to get a more distinct picture. The face then turned groggily towards where she was, and then their eyes widened too. Her hand began to tremble and she released the dagger. It disappeared in a shimmer just before it hit the ground.

Her resolve broke, "ALEX!"

The aircraft took off, and with it, Ethryn heard a peel of laughter that was far too familiar to all of them. Ethryn felt her racing heartbeat slow unnaturally and she stumbled backwards, only staying upright thanks to Butler. He put his gun back into his jacket.

"Calm down," Artemis ordered, "Remember your condition."

Ethryn nodded numbly, swallowing her momentary panic attack. She turned to look him dead in the eye, confused.

"Why not me?"

* * *

So, what the hell is Ethryn talking about?

WHY ARTEMIS FOWL IS SO NINJA, OF COURSE.

Till the next much more exciting chapter. And yes, Alex just got kidnapped by Opal thanks to a hypnotized Colleen.


	15. Foolproof Rescue

MASTER PLAN!

Enjoy my cunning through Artemis Fowl.

* * *

**Chapter 15  
"Foolproof Rescue"**

**Ireland, Fowl Airplane**

Artemis, looking up from his computer, with of which the coordinates inside were being fed to the plane, glanced at Ethryn beside him, but across the aisle. After clearing out the guests in his house, without any explanation to what had happened (which the Fowl family and comrades were used to), they had changed. Mrs. Fowl warned her son that she would be wanting an explanation sometime later, but Artemis simply decided he'd figure a way out of it later. Right now their priority was sticking to the plan.

Minerva was back at the house, awaiting news on the plan. She was backup, the 'plan B', if you will. She was also in charge of informing the LEP of Artemis's plans, both of them, and getting into contact with him if there was some sort of problem. That was something he hadn't anticipated, but doubtless that if there was a problem, he'd find a way around it.

Ethryn had changed into something Artemis had slightly surprised at.

He'd been prepping the laptop to hook up to the private airplane, reviewing the backup plan with Minerva when they'd heard the faintest sound of the stair creaking. At first, Artemis's first thought was getting the wood checked, for they seemed to be squeaking more and more lately, before he glanced up. Minerva's eyes never left Ethryn, but Artemis had to do a double take, making sure his eyes weren't fooling him.

"Fascinating," Minerva breathed, quiet enough for only Artemis to hear. Artemis agreed, silently.

She wore dominantly white, which was expected. Her shirt was white, with thin straps that were about an inch thick and form-fitting. She had black pants on, that could've been either jean, leather, or something in between. Tied around her waist was some type of metal belt, with two rings hanging off near her hips. She had a bracelet on either wrist, thick and shiny. Her shoes flats of a design Minerva, who had kept up with the fashion industry, did not recognize. They were something between sneakers and flats.

"Where did you get that?" Artemis asked, refusing to show his real curiosity. He had never got anything like that for her.

Ethryn smiled a little shyly. "Something I had remade from home."

And neither had pressed it.

So now Artemis looked at his adopted cousin with slight concern.

Ethryn was fumbling with her one bracelet, stroking it with the pad of her middle finger. When Artemis touched her arm she jumped a little, recoiling when she was jolted out of her deep train of thought. Artemis's worry grew as he sat down next to her.

"Alex will be alright, Ethryn," Artemis said reassuringly. "This has been planned out all of your birthday. Opal isn't-."

"It's not your plan I'm worried about, Artemis." Ethryn interrupted with a sigh, looking at him. "There's a gap."

Artemis's brow rose, "A gap? In what? My plan?"

She nodded, looking him dead in the eye with all seriousness. "You never planned out what happened to Alex while he's with Opal."

* * *

**Ireland, Somewhere**

Alex blinked awake wearily, noticing that the watch wasn't the only thing on his wrist. His own personal plan involved pretending to be asleep for as long as possible, so, as Alex still felt rather sleepy, he attempted to drift into unconsciousness until the LEP and Artemis (with, also, probably Ethryn) broke in to rescue him. He was on the verge of sleep when a surprising shock ran through his body. He jumped, his eyes flashing awake.

"Ah, he's awake. Now, at least." A voice from an intercom laughed. "Wakey wakey, Alex Rider. It's time I had some fun with _you_. You didn't think you could get away from me so easily, did you? Wrong!"

Alex looked around the room until he saw, through dark tinted glass, Opal speaking into a microphone with a vicious expression on her face. There didn't appear to be anyone with her but he couldn't be sure. Deciding to examine his surroundings now that he was awake, he saw he was trapped in something very much like a dungeon. His wrists were chained to the wall with only about a foot of leverage. They were a few inches above his head and offered no wiggling room. Alex kept the relief out of his face when he spotted his watch still on his wrists, securely. Artemis had said no one but he could take it off, but you could never be too sure.

"No escaping this time, Alex. I went easy on you the first time, but now, play-times over." Opal growled. Her eyes were predatory when Alex turned back to look at her.

He smirked. "What bothered you more, Opal? That Ethryn and I escaped, or that we did so right under your nose?"

She hissed, her hand hovering over some sort of dial. "Don't push me, Alex. The only reason you're alive at all is because I need information from you."

"Why don't you just _mesmer_ it out of me?" Alex challenged. When her eyes widened he said, "Yeah, Holly told me about the Fairy _mesmer_. You can get anyone to do or say anything, no matter what. You don't want information, you just want to torture me."

Her momentary shock wore off with a blink and she smirked again. "Very good, Alex. I really should've given you more credit. Someone of your expertise is obviously smarter then people would be led to think. I underestimated you. That won't happen again."

Alex shrugged, pushing himself up farther against the wall with a simple kick of his legs. He was sitting down, at least. He wouldn't have to worry about standing or hanging in midair for unknown lengths of time. "Let's get this over with, then."

"As you wish." But she seemed all to eager to start. "First, where's Ethryn?"

"With Artemis," he said, at once. He smirked, "You won't be able to touch her."

She growled, "I caught you, didn't I?"

He laughed, "A boy Artemis only keeps around because I saved Ethryn as opposed to a dear cousin whose valuable to both LEP and the Fowl's public press. You got lucky the first time, Opal, but Artemis is on lookout now."

"So what?"

Alex gave her his best and most smug smirk. "He's smarter then you."

With a shriek Opal's hand slammed down on the dial, turning it as she did so. Alex tensed at the shock that ran through his body from the handcuffs, running quickly through the rest of his body for a few seconds. When Opal finally let up his breathing was a bit ragged. He quickly shook the pain off though and it was mostly that he had been caught off guard by her actions anyways.

"Now you see, Alex, I forgot to warn you." Opal's voice was laced with her dominance and feral pride. "You should choose your words carefully. Otherwise, you'll find out just how _electric_ I can be."

What was it with villains and puns? Did they all just have manuals that instructed jokes be necessary? He wanted to scoff at it, but did not. But Alex would not be intimidated. He, Alex Rider, had faced far worse then some feline-like Fairy with a tazer. Compared to what he'd done before, this was almost boring. Despite this though, the seriousness of the situation did not escape him. He'd have to be careful.

"Fine." He grunted, feigning reluctant defeat. "I'll play by your rules."

She seemed pleased. "Good. Now, second question: How did you escape? Where did you go?"

Alex was wondering why these questions were so simple and was starting to become suspicious. But he answered the question anyways. "We went out the kitchen window, through the alley into a club, through another alley onto a rooftop and hid out there until your flunkies took off."

Opal hissed, "I knew it!" But quickly moved on. "Where did you go after that?"

"Ethryn knew of some hideout somewhere. I don't know the address or actually remember how we got there, but we stayed there for a day until we took off. Artemis found us on the streets before you could and took us home." Alex replied, his eyes fluttering in an attempt to stop talking. He lowered his head, as if tired.

She took the bait, "Weary then, are you, Alex?"

Alex pretended to suppress a yawn. "I've had worse . . . Wouldn't mind a few more hours before you interrogate me again, though."

Opal seemed to consider this. Then she shrugged, "Fine. Out you go, then. Why don't I help you with that, then?"

She hit another button, and a violet gas filled the room. Alex coughed at the sickly sweet smell, but soon felt his eyelids starting to droop. His muscles began to involuntarily relax, despite his best efforts, and his breathing began to slow, rythmically.

"Nighty night, Alex."

He was out before she finished her sentence.

When he awoke again, it was to the shattering of glass.

* * *

**Ireland, Outskirt Building**

Ethryn was growling, practically, as she stood next to Artemis and glared hatefully at the large building before her. She'd seen the outside of it and knew at once this was the place Opal had kept her and Alex.

But now Alex was in there, alone.

Holly was there, along with other LEP members, on the roof with them. About 20 in total, not including the ones who had set themselves up strategically elsewhere. 20 was just the ones on the roof.

The plan had been abandoned long before they came into the vicinity of the building. A car had taken them the rest of most of the way and then they'd been picked up by the Fairy People, flown shielded, and then dropped onto the roof with the rest of them.

"Calm down," Holly warned, quietly. The commander was giving a last speech.

"We've got ten minutes until these alarms go off. That's all Foaly can give us as soon as we're in," Kelp was warning everyone. Then he pointed to Ethryn. "Stay with Holly, got that?"

Ethryn nodded, then asked, "Will I need to be armed?"

Kelp's brow rose, "We didn't bring any extra weaponry."

"I have some of my own. I just need to know if I need them or not," She replied calmly.

After a moment, he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

She nodded, slashing at her sides with empty hands. But by the time they had stopped moving, her set of daggers had appeared in her hands. She immediately hooked them onto her bracelets, ensuring they stayed with her at all times.

Kelp frowned. "Oh yeah. Forgot you could do that."

Ethryn didn't say anything.

"Move out, then." Kelp ordered everyone. "And remember. _Be. Careful_."

Everyone nodded, moving out as he said. Ethryn followed Holly dutifully, trying to ignore the nerves that hurt her stomach, thinking about 'the plan'. Artemis had already explained how the plan had come about from the start of her birthday, with the supposedly innocent dance with him and Minerva that had really been the trigger for the rest. Minerva had been filled in during the three our four minutes of dancing, ordered to distract Colleen until he'd given her the signal to release her. How he'd made two copies of the same watch, one that was simply a broken device, and another with a tracker in it. Colleen had thrown the watch far, but it was Alex's job to pretend that no matter how far she went, it looked like he'd found the watch on the floor. And it was his job to get captured so the LEP could finally get Opal for good, once and for all.

"Relax," Holly warned. "I can hear your heart beating."

Ethryn took a shaky breath, slowing her panic. "Sorry."

Her friend simply nodded as they broke in through the window, making as little noise as possible. An advantage Angel's had in being graceful was that with grace came a sneaky attitude, which made for good recon. But Ethryn couldn't help but notice how Holly did this with the ease (but caution) of someone who had done this far too many times. She felt completely safe with Captain Short.

Holly motioned for her to follow. It was their job to actually find Alex while the rest of the LEP nabbed Opal. Alex was honestly (much to Ethryn's irritation and even Artemis's) the last priority of the LEP, so they gave the actual rescue to someone who really cared about him. Ethryn growled a little as they passed the gates to the cells, slightly surprised the signal from Alex's watch wasn't coming from there. The guard was asleep once again and she rolled her eyes, as did Holly. They ducked into the shadows every once in a while when a guard or someone would pass by and Ethryn recognized the man who had hit on her. She resisted the urge to do some harm to him, reminding herself she already had.

After what seemed like a long walk, with only about 2 minutes of their time left, they reached the corridor Alex was in. It was littered with guards and Ethryn's hold tightened around the weaponry attached to her wrist, taking a step towards the light.

Holly stopped her, shaking her head and pointing at the timer on her arm. Ethryn got the message, even if she didn't like it. They'd wait until the alarms went off to attack the guards, taking them by surprise. She was worried about the trouble that would cause Alex but hid it, stifling her fear into irritation towards the people keeping her from her friend.

The remaining two minutes seemed like an eternity but finally, mercifully, a thousand alarms went off at once.

Ethryn ignored the deafening noise and both she and Holly raced out, catching the men by surprise as expected, and took care of the men in only about half a minute.

When the last went down, Ethryn looked at Holly, shouting over the blaring alarm. "Which door is it!"

Holly glanced at the tracker before pointing to the nearest door. "In here!" She jerked the handle, but it did not good. "Locked!"

She lifted her gun, blasting the door off its hinges to allow them entrance into the room. It was filled with dials, buttons, and a microphone. Ethryn rushed to the glass, staring through a thin mist. Her eyes widened when it cleared a few seconds later, revealing a sleeping Alex chained to the wall.

"Don't shoot," She ordered, "You could hurt Alex."

"Then what are we going to do to get him out?" Holly demanded, frustrated.

"Move," Ethryn ordered. Holly looked at her warily before doing as she was told. Ethryn approached, shattering the glass with a powerful kick of her foot. Holly stared in surprise and Ethryn ginned sheepishly. "Helps with the tension."

"Just remind me not to play soccer with you," Holly joked, leaping through.

Alex was up by now, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Both girls were ridding him of his chains, Ethryn bringing her sword down with precision on the chain on her side while Holly turned her Neutrino on low and cut through it like a laser.

"Hey, guys," he yawned, sleepily. "What took ya so long?"

"Traffic," Holly joked, grinning at him as the chain snapped in half. "We'll get the cuffs off you later. Right now, we just need to get out of here so there is a later."

He nodded, getting steadily to his feet. Alex almost fell back down when Ethryn nearly tackled him in a tight hug, holding him around his middle.

"Don't do that, Alex," She murmured, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "Next time Artemis has a plan to let you get kidnapped, tell me next time so I know to be prepared for it, okay?"

Alex couldn't help but no, numbly, before beaming at her. "Next time? Will we be doing this often, then?"

She smirked, "I didn't take you for a damsel."

He grinned slyly, hugging her back. "Definitely not. That's your job."

Ethryn shoved him away, laughing even though they were definitely not out of the woods yet. "Lead the way, Holly."

And she did.

Getting out wasn't so hard, Ethryn had almost decided. It wasn't until they were met with their exit point did they see a troop of armed men, looking around wildly with panic. Holly immediately swore.

"Trigger-happy," Alex muttered. And though Ethryn wasn't familiar with the term, she had a feeling she got the basics of its meaning.

Holly lifted her gun and didn't waste time shooting the Mud-Men down. She couldn't get all of them though and soon Ethryn and Alex were fighting with some hand-to-hand, careful to avoid any bullets aiming their way.

Ethryn began to feel optimistic when she felt something hot slash across her arm.

"Ethryn!" Both Alex and Holly shouted at the same time as she stumbled backwards. But they were soon thrown back into the fight with about ten opponents left, now trying to get to the weak link.

The Angel, at first, could not understood what had happened. She glanced at her arm, shocked at how the ache was suddenly spreading through her whole body, gritting her teeth as the pain gradually got worse. She had only ever bleed from an injury when she'd first arrived at Artemis's house, and that was her wing. Now it was her arm. She groaned at the pain, but forced herself back onto her feet just as a man broke through Alex and Holly's defense.

He came charging at her with a fist. Her eyes narrowed and she used her uninjured arm to slash at him, knocking him into the wall as she hit him with the blunt of the blade, rendering him unconscious. After a few minutes more, they were in the clear and both came rushing towards her.

She waved them off, "I'm fine, really."

Alex shared a look with Holly and suddenly the ground was gone from her as she let out a cry of surprise. Alex was now holding her, carrying her along the corridor. She protested, but refused to flail and slow Alex down. They were almost reaching their exit point, where they'd meet up on the roof, when Alex realized a problem.

"How is Ethryn going to climb up?" He asked both of them.

They didn't pause in their running and Ethryn gave him a dry look out of irritation of being carried. "Wings?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Oh yeah."

She laughed.

Holly busted the door down, the two of them picking their way through fallen bodies of guards. It looked like the LEP was wrapping things up rather nicely. Alex finally set Ethryn down as Holly blasted a hole in the wall with her neutrino, so Ethryn could fly out without trouble.

That was when a shriek rang out. Alex whirled around just in time to duck as some type of missile flew over the three of their heads, crashing into the back wall and setting the corridor into a far away flame.

"This . . . is all . . . **YOUR FAULT**!"

Alex looked up from the floor, having hurled himself upon it. Thankfully Ethryn and Holly had the same sense to have done the same. Opal was standing there, eyes ablaze with mad fury holding a weapon Alex couldn't identify. He began backing up, unsure of what to do as he crawled slightly farther from her. He'd seen this look before. Alex had yet to find it any easier to cope with. Especially when the owner of that expression had some type of missile-gun in hand. She was about five or six feet away, standing her ground.

"It's over, Opal." Holly said fiercely, raising her Neutrino at Opal. "Put the gun down."

"**NO**!" Opal's voice hit such an octave Alex had to flinch at it. Ethryn had yet to sit up from the floor, simply laying on her side. Whether she was playing dead or otherwise, Alex couldn't tell, but it was starting to make him feel frightened for her well-being. But as he scooted towards where she lay Opal rounded on him. He froze.

"And _you_," She growled, aiming the gun directly at him. "I'm going to love this."

Ethryn bolted upright, her good hand lashing out just as Opal pulled the trigger.

Alex and Holly had the sense to duck. The instant afterwords the dagger sliced through the projectile, sending the gunpowder (along with the explosion) backwards towards where a stunned Opal stood unmoving. She stared as the flames came towards her, still unaware of what to do besides stand there. The explosion shook the hallways, and the force shoved Ethryn back onto her back, sending her gasping painfully for air a few seconds. Holly looked up from her crossed arms, staring at the fire that had engulfed the Fairy they had been chasing for so many years. Was she really-?

"Are you two alright?" Ethryn groaned, sitting up with stifled, awkward breaths. Then her breath hitched again, "Alex?"

He lay unmoving, bleeding from his forehead.

"Alex!" She shouted, over another explosion from down the hallway.

Holly looked left and then right. There was no way out except the window, thanks two the two fires they had started. She glanced down at Alex, who was still wearing his button-up white shirt from Ethryn's party. But now blood was starting to seep in. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves.

"Ethryn," Holly said sternly, catching her attention. "Can you fly Alex _and_ you onto the roof?"

She stared, blinking rapidly a few moments. "I . . . think so."

Holly hooked one of Alex's arms around her shoulder and Ethryn did the same on the opposite side, holding him with her good arm. The pain from the bullet was gone now, replaced by an adrenaline rush of fear for the three of them. Holly pulled out her own hover wings but knew it would mainly be Ethryn who was going to hold Alex. The two girls shared a serious look before taking deep breaths.

"One." Holly started.

"Two." Ethryn added.

With a much larger explosion behind them, they together shouted. "Three!"

And jumped into the air.

* * *

Artemis watched, entirely unnerved as windows showed fires throughout the building in them. He grimaced in particular when he saw multiple explosions in only one sectioned area of the crumbling warehouse-like estate. He prayed inwardly that nothing had happened to anyone.

Of course, it was his friends who had been the most injured in the end.

When the LEP had brought seven back injured, Artemis was distressed to find two of them were Ethryn and Alex. On any normal person, getting shot for the first time, even when grazed on the arm like Ethryn was, would be possibly traumatizing and abnormally painful. But she didn't seem all too concerned about it, watching the bandage being placed on it by the warlocks with curiosity. She frequently glanced over at Alex though, who was not conscious.

"What happened?" Artemis demanded.

The warlock pretended not to be intimidated by the infamous Artemis Fowl, keeping his mind focused on his work as a distraction. "It appears the explosion's backfire hit him in the head and cause trauma. Some piece of the weapon must have rebounded and nicked him, but it was more then enough."

"How long will he be out?" Ethryn interrupted, sitting on the cot next to Alex.

Holly removed her helmet, shaking out her hair. "He doesn't look too bad."

"He's not," The medic agreed. "At least, the cut isn't. The blood is just for sure, it's the impact we really need to be concerned about. I can heal the severing, but I'm worried about what happened to his brain."

"Meaning?" Ethryn demanded anxiously, fear seizing her chest.

He sighed and looked at her, nearly flinching from the innocence her face still grasped and the anxiousness it showed.

"Meaning, I'm not sure when he's going to wake up."

* * *

DAMNIT! Why is Alex so much fun to put in these types of situations?

Oh yeah, to play with Ethryn's heartstrings. MAAAJJJOR fluff in the next chapter. I hope you can guess who it's between.

The only thing I'll tell you is he's not dead. He's worse, in my opinion.

Later.


	16. The Final Love

Yay for waking up from comas!

Enjoy. Also, laugh at my allergy joke.

* * *

**Chapter 16  
"The Final Love"**

**London, The Rider Home  
**

Alex felt some sense of familiarity only his subconscious could have recognized as he blinked his eyes awake. He immediately recognized the warmth of a bed and sheets surrounding him and stifled a yawn. When the initial haze of his vision cleared he heard an odd beeping noise.

He turned his head and realized he was hooked up to multiple machinery. One of them was a heart monitor, another was probably keeping tabs on his brain, spouting out jagged lines that seemed to recently have become more active. Yet another was an IV drip and he resisted the urge to look at his hand, lest he panic. Alex could handle bullets, stab wounds, burns, extreme exhaustion and even allergies but he hated needles with a passion.

But what Alex found more surprising was that he immediately recognized his room.

Granted, it was much cleaner then he had remembered leaving it. But then again the last time he had talked to Jack, she had admitted her boredom. Maybe it had gone as far as cleaning up his room while he was away, dirty laundry and all. Alex smiled a little imagining Jack clean up his room, commenting about how much of a pig he was with every single thing she did. It was a thought that made him even laugh a little.

Shortly after his laugh, the door opened immediately. He turned his head to the door and grinned.

"Hey, Jack," He said cheerfully, stopping in surprise at how scratchy his voice was. He lifted his IV-free hand to touch his throat in surprise. "Wow, where have I been?"

"Publicly," his friend and guardian began, shutting the door behind her. She moved to sit on the bed and take his hand. "You were both in an accident."

"Wait, both? What kind of accident?" Alex asked, alarmed. He heard his heartbeat start to speed up in his panic.

"Ssh," Jack soothed, rubbing his hand with her thumb. "Relax, Alex. You and Ethryn were supposedly in a car accident. A drunk driver was on the road while Butler was taking you to on a trip to the mall when he hit you. Butler is massive, of course, and got away with a scratch. You and Ethryn, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. A piece of the car got her pretty good in the arm and the impact had you in a coma for the past four days."

"I missed _four days_?" He groaned, looking up at the ceiling for a second. Then he turned back to Jack, "Wait, how do you know Ethryn and Butler?"

She smiled, "And Artemis."

Alex's heartbeat started to speed up again. "_How_?"

"If you don't relax, Alex, Artemis told me to push this button and knock you out." She warned, pointing to a remote hooked up to the IV machine. He took a few deep breaths until he was calm again. "Okay, good. They were the ones who brought you here, once you were stable, with my permission of course. They figured I wanted you home as soon as possible, now that whatever mess was over. They're staying in London. Artemis is here with Butler almost all day every day, but Ethryn is practically spending the night here." She smiled at him. "I was surprised about just how much of a sweetheart she is. I thought that was just a press image."

"No, she's the real thing," Alex murmured in agreement. Then he shook his head. "Where are they now?"

"Ethryn is napping on the couch. I was doing laundry when I heard you laugh." Jack replied, placing her hand gently on his forehead to wipe some hair away. "You've really got her wrapped around your finger I think, Alex. She comes in here a lot to talk to you and keep you company, even if you're completely out. She told me that you did the same for her, so she's going to do the same for you, whatever that means."

Alex tried to hide how pleased he was at this. But he smiled just a little anyways before yawning. "Can you get her for me, Jack? I want to see how she is."

"Her arms all fine, if that's what your worried about." She replied. Then she frowned. "No one has really told me the whole story, but Ethryn told me the basics, when Butler and Artemis weren't around. She said some type of explosion debris hit you both, but you got the worst of it. She feels horrible. She thinks it's her fault. And I don't know the whole story, so, you can probably convince her otherwise . . .?" She left the answer to him.

He nodded, "Of course. She saved my life, I owe her."

Jack smiled and stood, heading towards the door. But she paused. "Alex?"

"Yeah, Jack?" He asked, curiously.

She looked on the verge of tears. But they were happy tears. "I'm glad to have you home."

He beamed. "Glad to be home, Jack."

Jack nodded and left, shutting the door behind her and leaving Alex to his thoughts for a moment. He felt guilt for causing Ethryn so much worry. If she hadn't backfired the missile, sure, he wouldn't be in coma. But he'd be dead. It was completely illogical for her to feel bad just because of a small misfire. He was still alive. That was a win in his book.

There was a meek knock.

"Come in!" He shouted, refusing to look away from the colors of his ceiling.

The door opened and shut and there was no sound for a few seconds. When Alex became restless of the silence he braced himself, turned his head to his door and hoped that he wouldn't stare after not seeing her for so long. At least, seeing her without having just been electrocuted or in the midst of a brawl.

He failed miserably.

She was wearing a white tank top, with simple skinny jeans. She was barefoot and he smiled a little at that, but soon after he noticed a glint on her neck. Examining it further he recognized his gift to her.

Alex beamed, "Hey, Ethryn."

Ethryn looked up at him from under her lashes and smiled, now comfortable that the silence had broken. She walked over and sat on his bed, where Jack had just been seated only moments before. "Hey, Alex. How are you feeling?"

He thought about it, staring at her while he did so. "Mm, just a little tired. A bit sore, but nothing particularly annoying."

She looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry."

Alex recognized the blame game immediately and his gaze was stern. "I have no idea what for. You saved mine and Holly's life with your reaction time, Ethryn. Another second or a miss in your aim and the three of us would've been nothing but leftovers."

Ethryn grimaced at the imagery but shook her head, "I should've been more careful."

"You were shot in the arm." Alex retorted, glancing at the neat bandage on it. "By the way, how is that?"

"Just sore." She touched it absentmindedly. Then she shook her head. "But, Alex, it's my fault you've been in a coma."

"It's your fault I'm alive at all," he challenged, squeezing her hand. He tried to make a joke. "I'd rather rest for four days then be dead."

It was then he noticed tears starting to form in her eyes. She bowed her head a little, speaking quietly. Alex was suspicious she was afraid her voice would crack otherwise. "You still could've died. The doctor said an inch higher and you would've been killed instantly."

Alex grimaced a little but then shrugged, "But I'm not. Help me sit up."

Reluctantly, she did so, though he really didn't need the help. Making herself useful she grabbed a few pillows and propped them behind his back so that he could sit up without having to support himself entirely. He didn't use them though, choosing to lean towards her instead. She didn't back away.

"Look, Ethryn." He started, seriously. They didn't break eye-contact. "You feeling guilty is completely irrational. I don't blame you for being in a coma. Personally, it's break by now anyways. It's not like I missed much really. If anyone has something to be sorry about it's me, for not telling you the plan when Artemis told me. Yes, I remember seeing you staring at me from the helicopter." He added, as she opened her mouth to protest. "So, I'll make you a deal. I won't beat myself up about not telling you if you don't beat yourself up about not having deadly enough aim when you've been shot. Deal?"

She smiled a little, blushing out how pointless he made her concerns sound. "Alright . . . Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"Jack told me something, while I was here."

He groaned inwardly.

"I wanted to know . . . if it was true," she murmured, looking down at her lap. Though neither of them knew it, they were leaning towards one another, slowly enough so that neither of them noticed the dwindling distance between their faces.

"What was it?" He asked, nervously.

She looked up at him. "You used to like Sabina?"

Alex had expected a different question. He nodded though. "Yeah. But, I like someone else now."

"Oh, really?" Ethryn now visibly scooted closer to him, staring right into his eyes. Her blush reappeared now. "And this . . . someone else . . . do I know her?"

Now they were both hyper aware of how close they were to one another. Alex nodded. "Yeah. Really well, but, I don't think I'm good enough for her. She's got a lot of spirit. She could do better then me."

Ethryn smiled, "I don't think she could."

"Oh." There mouths were only a short distance away when Alex smirked. "But, I don't think Holly would go for me anyways."

Her eyes narrowed at the joke, "Alex-!"

Before she could protest further Alex pressed his IV hand against the back of her head, colliding her mouth easily to his. His eyes were already closed and reveling in the warmth of and softness of her mouth along with the complete shock that ran through his body at the sensation. Ethryn was feeling very much of the same thing, her eyes drifting closed when they both heard something Alex found embarrassing and Ethryn found amusing.

Alex's heart monitor was beeping erratically again.

She pulled away laughing, keeping her eyes on him with a smirk. "I didn't know I had that affect on you, Alex." His turn to blush now, he rubbed his neck nervously, laughing rather uncomfortably. Ethryn's gaze turned mischievous then and as Alex looked away she placed her arms around his neck, to his surprise. She now blushed as well. "But I like it."

They leaned in again, kissing much more smoothly now, both of their eyes closed before they even touched lips. Alex's hands found their way instinctively to her waist, pressing her chest against him as he sat next to her. She did very much the same, her fingers running slowly through his hair. After some time of this they parted.

Alex laughed, lying back down with his hands behind his head. "This is going to be fun to explain to Artemis."

Ethryn rolled her eyes, resting her head on Alex's chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing. Alex smiled down at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling to face her on her side. His heartbeat was much steadier now and Ethryn found it almost soothing to hear. She nestled up against him.

She sighed peacefully. "I'm just happy you're okay, Alex."

He rubbed her back with one hand, holding her to him with the other. "Me too, Ethryn. Me too."

* * *

Colleen was fired. Even if she was hypnotized, Artemis refused to cut her any slack. All of the legal problems were done quickly and under the table, Artemis using some old favors to pull some strings. She was babbling when she awoke, talking about magical hypnotizing creatures. The Fowl family had her committed and placed on heavy medications, that kept her risk-free of any self-mutilation. Conveniently, it also disabled her from speaking coherently.

Ethryn was legally emancipated. After a long and thoughtful discussion Artemis and she decided it was best that she be in charge of herself. Of course, that didn't meant she was cut off from her funding, it just was easier then finding another incompetent person to take care of her while being a risk to her well-being. After much begging and pleading, Artemis also allowed her to stay in London, with Alex.

The Fairy people, however, were beyond begging and pleading. But in the end, thanks to Artemis's exceedingly brilliant skill of finding the loophole in almost every situation, Alex was allowed to keep his memories. But, unknown to Jack, there house and phones were wired. The moment the words "fairy", "magic", "LEP", and a few various other words were said, they would tap into the conversation and find the topic. So long as he kept their secret, Alex could keep his memories. But the moment he slipped up he would be wiped, that was made very clear. But Alex had gave his word and because of their mistake, Ethryn was allowed to keep her boyfriend and he his memories.

And Ethryn had gotten her dog.

A rescue retriever had just had puppies. It was unlikely the mother would be adopted but Ethryn found herself unable to separate the mother and her two pups, and had just ended up adopting the entire family. Alex and Jack had come over to her house (now that she had been moved back in) and visited them, helping them name the new additions to her family. Ethryn was only to happy to have the companion of animals filling her home.

"I've always been a dog person," Jack said, sitting on Ethryn's couch as she ruffled the mothers hair. The female pup nestled into her mother's warmth. "What are you naming them?"

"I haven't decided yet," Ethryn admitted, the pup sitting in the pouch of her crossed legs. Alex sat next to her, making faces at the stumbling animal. But he seemed forever hopeful at making it over Ethryn's legs and getting a good, playful swipe at Alex. Ethryn laughed, "This one is pretty feisty. Why not Flame?"

"Sounds pretty generic," Alex admitted, with a frown. Then he grinned. "What about Rider?"

"How very conceited of you, Alex," Jack commented with an eye roll. She examined the pup from across the couch. "You know what he looks like to me?"

"Hm?" Ethryn asked, holding the pup in her arms. He curled up happily but stared at Jack, as if awaiting his new name with anticipation.

Jack smiled. "He looks like a scrap to me. Why not call him Scrap?"

They all looked down at the puppy. Suddenly he beamed and gave a yip, as if in approval. Ethryn smiled with him. "Scrap it is, then."

"Now it's his sister's turn." Alex pointed out as Scrap finally managed to pounce on him, batting at the strings on his jacket.

Ethryn shook her head, "I've already thought of a name for her."

"Oh really?" Alex replied, intrigued and surprised. "What?"

"Kit," Ethryn replied. "I named her Kit, because the first thing she did was go into the bathroom and, well, did her business on a First-Aid Kit."

Alex laughed, "Ha, 'did her business'. Now you just have to remember to potty train them."

She grimaced at the thought until Kit jumped up and licked her, yipping joyfully. She smiled at her. "That should be fun."

"Definitely," Jack yawned in agreement.

Ethryn's brow rose, "Tired already, Jack? It's only five."

"I'm beat," she explained tiredly. "You mind if I snooze in your nanny's old room, Ethryn?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. Second door on the right upstairs, down the hallway. There's a bathroom inside if you need it."

"Thanks," Jack replied, stretching her limbs. She gave them warning looks. "Don't you two do anything while I'm asleep."

Alex scoffed, "Thanks for the confidence in us, Jack."

"You're teenagers." She countered. "What can I expect?"

But she turned and went towards the staircase, rolling her shoulders as she did so. The pups jumped off of both of them, chasing her up the staircase. They heard Jack shouting playfully at them as they did so and the mother gave a bark, also giving chase on her young, disobedient children. Coincidentally, this left Alex and Ethryn alone together once again.

He looked at her from the couch, grinning seductively.

She rolled her eyes. "Alex."

"What?" He whined playfully.

Ethryn couldn't help but laugh a little and leaned back against the couch, her head lolling back until she saw upside down. Alex had noticed she did this often for no particular reason and gave no explanation for it but now he wasn't going to let her get away with it. He smirked and carefully maneuvered himself to where he had his hands on either side of her hips, towering over her. He only had to wait a few seconds before she lifted her head, like usual, and blinked as the blood rushed away from her head again. But she gave a visible start when she came face-to-face with Alex, who was still smirking. She took a second to catch her breath at the surprise.

"Why do you do that?" He asked breathless now himself, at having her so close to him. Alex was embarrassed to admit that he hadn't quite grasped the concept they were together now, that this beautiful and abnormally famous girl was now his. Her face was perfect, like her body, that he had been careful to respect the boundaries of. She was also rather careful when kissing him, appearing to just love the feeling that it was Alex she had. He didn't quite understand that but he wasn't unhappy with the idea she was happy with him.

She recovered a few seconds later but not entirely. "Eh, do what?"

"Hang your head upside-down," Alex replied, locking gazes with her in a way far too intense for a simple question.

Her breath caught in her throat and for a second Alex's almost unfair advantage of his appealing scent flooded her nose and it took a few seconds for her to form an intelligible answer he could understand. "I . . . like the head-rush feeling."

Alex leaned in closer, to he was whispering in her ear but not quite touching her anywhere. The space between them buzzed with almost uncomfortable electricity. "I can think of a few much funner ways to do that."

"Like what?" She asked with a nervous smaller, even though she knew where this was going.

He laughed in response and finally one hand snaked around her waist, forcing her body to arch against him. She closed her eyes instinctively and found his mouth easily, kissing him comfortably and enjoying the slight pressure on her body. Alex sat up straight, pulling her back with him. Ethryn eventually maneuvered them until she had Alex sitting down and leaning against the armrest, while she straddled him. They were clinging tightly together until Ethryn felt Alex's mouth curve into a smirk.

She pulled away, staring at him with that gaze. Even with her innocence technically gone as she obtained the full body of a teenager (and by full, Alex couldn't help but notice that a few things that had seemed average and unimportant to him were now much more filled out) who would eventually grow into a woman.

"What is it?" She asked quietly, panting a little from the lack of oxygen.

He reached one hand off her hip and stroke her face with his hand, admiringly. "I love you."

Ethryn gave a jump of surprise (which really felt to Alex like something dirty since she was straddling him) but Alex waited patiently for a response. Even if she didn't love him, she cared about him. He could live with that.

But very slowly she let her head rest on his chest and smiled. "I . . . love you too, Alex."

And Alex felt such content that he could've burst.

* * *

Artemis glanced at his watch before glancing at his cousin and her boyfriend. The two had been making a few informal public appearances and Artemis had been feeling irritated that it hadn't occurred to either of them to make their relationship official in the eyes of the public. He'd gone as far as to make a few jokes that they knew more about Ethryn's new dogs then Alex Rider.

"Are you ready?" He asked Alex, for Ethryn had been to enough public events to know what to expect.

Alex was shifting uncomfortably in the limousine, Ethryn holding Alex's arm in a vain attempt to comfort him. But Artemis could see the hidden amusement in her eyes stuffed inside to try to get Alex to relax.

"Not really," Alex admitted. It didn't help that he was wearing a suit, something he'd have to start getting used to with the schedule Artemis had set up for them in the summer. Ethryn had rumors going around she was dating someone but no one had come up with any substantial evidence, so Artemis was taking care of that for sure.

Artemis smirked with only minor provoking intentions. "Well, we're here. So hold your breath."

Ethryn giggled and kissed Alex's cheek, making Artemis quiet. He was working on letting his cousin go even now but Alex and Ethryn were oblivious to his feelings. Ethryn wore a white dress with black detailing, wearing her favorite color comforting her. Alex really couldn't say the same but staring at her made him forget.

The car stopped.

Immediately Alex saw the cameras trained on them, set up, waiting until they had arrived. She smiled a little and took Alex's hand into hers, tightly. Artemis of course offered to go first, so as to provide some sense of cover for them.

And by the next morning, the couple was over all of the papers as London's Most Adorable Couple. America caught on to them and soon they were known world-wide, an international couple. Alex's popularity sky-rocketed at school, needless to say.

And in the end, they couldn't be separated.

**THE END**

* * *

Realized I hadn't officially finished this story yet. My bad! OOPS! Sorry!

Hope you liked the story!


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